Episode 4
Sorry for the delay! I was in San Diego for the week singing with the Mainly Mozart Festival. Since Andy tagged along (neither of us had ever been to San Diego), when I wasn't rehearsing, we were busy biking around, visiting the zoo, and stuffing our faces with West coast oysters. So you'll have to forgive me for not holing up with The Bachelorette. :)
“Anybody who wants to spend their time with Rachel discussing what they think of somebody else, it’s just silly, because she’s gonna find that out on her own.” —Matt
LAST WEEK'S ROSE CEREMONY, CONT'D
We pick up with last week's Rose Ceremony, where Lee appeared to have something important and time sensitive (anyone else notice how he kept saying "16 seconds?" to Kenny's "60 seconds"?) to discuss with Rachel. But apparently he was just pot stirring, the one thing he seems to excel at. That and artful wood carving...
Kenny leaves graciously enough but not without an EPIC Direct-Look-Into-Camera...
Meanwhile, Dean catapults to the top of my personal favorites list by actually saying what you know everyone's thinking... (and don't miss Brady scratching his head with a DOLL'S HAND. Thanks for the spot, Caitlin!)
Note how he doesn’t say “I hate to say it” but rather “I hate to say it out loud”. Brady’s reaction is less “I don’t agree with you” than, “Dude, you just said that out loud”. It goes to show how—smartly—camera and mic conscious they both are. These are the best kinds of conversations as you can tell they're not staged.
Speaking of staged conversations, poor Brady is roped into a Man Chat and I don't think I've ever seen a less willing participant...
Not only does he not say a single thing, he won’t even nod politely.
As Rachel's patience wears thin and she tearfully speaks of the pressure she feels in her situation, it becomes apparent that she's not being allowed to leave the ITM room...
Why would Rachel even NEED to insist she’s not talking anymore if she wasn’t forced to continuously talk? You can tell they wanted to capitalize on her vulnerable, teary place. This isn’t dissimilar to the DeMario girlfriend situation, where she was furious and wouldn't speak. As with that situation, Chris Harrison materializes, likely to move things along on camera. Note how he says "Everyone's here to help you", almost defensively.
DEAN'S 1-ON-1
The gang travels to Hilton Head, South Carolina, but we're strangely shown no footage of that being announced. While Anthony reads the date card, note the man formation...
Now note the formation when Rachel arrives seconds later to fetch Dean. Hell, Anthony's even changed shirts...
Then, in the wake of Rachel taking Dean, the requisite Man Chat ensues. But again, note the seating arrangements...
Clearly the bulk of that chat was filmed before Rachel ever arrived, but my main purpose in pointing this out is that this was NOT a brief event. It seems like a bunch of guys hanging out for 5 minutes, but it's a) forced hanging out and they're not allowed to leave, and b) SO not 5 minutes.
How shocking that the guy with a fear of heights is coincidentally chosen for this date...
I did appreciate how aware of that "coincidence" Dean seemed.
While Rachel and Dean approach the guys' digs, watch without the sound (effects) and watch where the guys look—most of them look towards the camera (where a producer stands). 0% chance a producer didn’t say, “Do you guys hear something?” Also, note the formation...
Direct-Look-Into-Camera! And Adam's investigative mode cracks me up.
They weren’t just hanging out like that. Like I’ve said before, so much of this experience is being told to convene and wait for things to happen.
I never would've guessed that the "I'm ready to go black and never go back" guy would be a frontrunner, yet here we are. Beyond the excellent chemistry and ease that Dean and Rachel share, I particularly appreciate how he just seems to "get" it. His reactions show that he's delighted by and irked by all the right things. Even Andy mentioned Dean as being "the good, normal one", which is basically the Nobel Prize of compliments around the Shandy household. Yay Dean!
GROUP DATE
Rachel takes a massive group on an entertaining yacht ride followed by an even more entertaining spelling bee. (This made me miss Bachelor Pad even more than usual.) It was interesting how the guys seemed so shocked and appalled to be participating in a spelling bee when the words "Spelling Bee" weren't even ever hidden from view...
And surely they didn't think they'd just be attending a spelling bee? If so, amateurs!
I laughed out loud watching Josiah enjoy the applause and wave back at his adoring fans, not unlike a rock star might at MSG...
In the evening, Iggy, having just last week whined to Rachel about Eric, decided his grave wasn't dug quite deep enough and set his bull's eye squarely on Josiah. I might've given Iggy the benefit of the doubt if this happened once, but seeing as how Eric is on this very same date and is totally drama free, it's safe to say Iggy's the common denominator. What drives me nuts about this is the "I'm protective of you" crutch. As I said on The Morning After, being protective of someone comes from getting to know them and developing an attachment to them, both of which Iggy has eschewed twice now in favor of talking shit about guys who annoy him. And as if that's not bad enough, he then passive aggressively suggests that perhaps that's Rachel's taste...
UGH. I love the "I'm no fool" expression Rachel responds with. You can practically see her eyes narrow!
Then, under the guise of being honest, he immediately tells Josiah what he just did, but LIES about what actually transpired. (He claimed Rachel specifically asked about Josiah causing drama in the house, which didn't happen. He did this exact same thing with Eric at the most recent Rose Ceremony.) This is some new breed of "honesty", apparently.
Josiah gave me a true LOL when he came out and said what I was thinking, with "I'm Eric now." And don't miss Eric's fantastic Direct-Look-Into-Camera...
It would appear that all of Rachel's ITMs were done after the fact (there wasn't one to be found from the evening, which has me wondering if something happens later in this date), as we only ever see her in this incredibly obvious, straight-haired, earrings-less Pick-up...
The episode comes to yet another dramatic "TO BE CONTINUED DUH DUH DUH" involving Lee (of course) and Kenny. It feels like the Powers That Be have been wanting to play up Kenny's occupation from day one, preferably in the context of conflict with another guy in the house, and this cliffhanger did just that. Interestingly, based on personalities, I do feel like Lee would be far more likely to (stupidly) throw a punch than Kenny. I just hope Kenny has a level of willpower to match his physical strength.
For my Top 4 (as well as a tirade about Lee), head on over to Flare.
BEST DRESSED
There weren't a ton of outfits this week as we picked up from a Rose Ceremony and never even got past the second date. However, Best Dressed goes to Josiah, who stood out in his Group Date evening ensemble...
I love how crisp and preppy this shirt is, yet how different it is. The seersucker lining adds just the right amount of interest and pop to an otherwise classic shirt. I found myself wanting to know where this shirt was from and I wasn't alone; two of you wrote me asking about it. Josiah's shirt is from Sartori Amici in Miami.
WORST DRESSED
Nothing offensive this week. No Worst Dressed!
RACHEL'S LOOKS
Rachel's casually-yachting-around-Hilton-Head-Island-alone outfit didn't get a lot of airtime, but it was pretty flawless...
Gotta love an outfit that marries florals and leather (successfully). Each one of these pieces is so wearable, together and separately, and I've found myself lusting after that perfect blush leather jacket. Rachel's All Saints jacket sells HERE but since it's on the pricey side, I found a look-for-less HERE (real leather), and a look-for-much-less HERE (faux). Her Likely dress sells HERE but I also found a decent look-for-less HERE. Her Jules Smith circle hoop earrings sell HERE, and though they're reasonably priced, I found a look-for-even-less HERE.
I LOVED her outfit she wore for Dean's blimp 1-on-1...
This is some seriously sophisticated styling and I was wowed. A brocade bomber with Adidas? Rocker chic jeans with loads of dainty gold jewelry? Be still, my heart! I don't think I could pull this look off and I STILL love it, that's how good it is! Rachel's Philip Lim bomber sells HERE. Her Paige double zipper jeans sell HERE, and her Adidas metallic toe sneakers sell HERE.
Her jewelry's so good it requires a separate photo...
I was a little mixed on this look. I like the blouse but I don't love it. It's a hair froufrou for my liking, so I'd rather have seen it with leather pants (and a ponytail!), as the trousers looked a little business-y to me. Unfortunately, if you loved this look, none of it is available online. Rachel's The Kooples blouse is sadly sold out (HERE) and seeing as it's quite specific I wasn't able to find anything quite like it. Her heels are by Michael Kors but are also sadly sold out (HERE). Her The Woods choker and arrowhead necklaces aren't available online, but there's a look-for-less of her diamond starburst choker HERE, and of her diamond arrowhead necklace (which she also wore last week) HERE.
For the Group Date...
I think it'd be impossible not to like this look. It has a good balance of showing skin and not, as well as being both casual and dressy. This is an A+, I'm-not-trying-too-hard-but-still-care date outfit. Rachel's Zara top is sadly sold out (HERE) but I found two very similar ones, HERE and HERE. Her frayed hem jeans are by Paige and sell HERE. While her Stuart Weitzman wedges are just about sold out (on sale HERE - there are a few more sizes in the black, HERE), there's a fantastic look-for-less selling HERE. Her antler bangles are by Nan Fusco, but since they're not available online, I found some very similar ones (made of naturally shed antler) HERE.
In the evening...
This was such a knockout of a dress. I loved how sheer it was yet how you couldn't really see much (she obviously wore it without the liner-- ballsy!). You know by now I love dichotomies in fashion, and the dichotomy of an A-line, ultra frilly dress being that sheer was not lost on me. Rachel's dress is by Randi Rahm, the designer behind what seems to be every formal dress this season, and like those other dresses, it's sadly not available online, nor could I find anything even remotely similar. Same goes for her The Woods earrings, unfortunately. Her Stuart Weitzman sandals sell HERE.
Until next week, fellow pandas!
