Episode 2
A gentle reminder, dear readers:
Please email me fashion ID requests, meanwhile for show-related commentary and questions, please comment below! I do my best to respond to some comments every week, while long (though beautifully written!) emails about the show will most certainly get lost in the ever-growing pile. Conversely, when sleuthing for fashion I always refer back to the emailed requests, so that's the best place to make sure don't lose track of your request!
Thank you!
“I don’t want you to misinterpret me as someone who’s 007 all the time, because I’m not."
—Jordan
GROUP DATE #1
The Group Date kicks off with the men changing into tuxedos sponsored by a very easygoing brand that didn't mind having their product completely destroyed on television. We were blatantly shown the mic pack situation and you guys just KNEW I'd have to capture this shot of David for 4th wall breakage posterity...
As the men casually disrobe around her, I LOVED Becca's appropriately awkward reaction to being stuck in the middle of a room of half naked men changing and not knowing what to say or do...
Reactions like the above are exactly how I think I'd feel under those circumstances. Like, sure, you can ogle and be impressed by all the man meat, but it's not really that kind of turn-on situation; it's more awkward than hot. And let's also imagine a gender role-reversal here because those are always fun... SO not kosher, right?? One of many little examples of how the men are far more objectified on The Bachelorette than the women are on The Bachelor.
The wedding-themed obstacle course is hosted by Rachel and Bryan and they are a gift. They are such a cute couple and downright HILARIOUS...
Lincoln somewhat questionably rattles his sand timer (my sister Andrea texted me to say this shouldn't have been allowed and she works on Survivor, the OG of obstacle course challenges, so she knows what she's talking about) to speed it up (does that actually work?). During this moment there's a funny shot of the timer obviously taken after the fact and inserted in there to... I don't know exactly? Suggest Lincoln did in fact hop out before the time was up? (I seriously don't know what the point of this shot was, I just know it was taken later!)
In the evening there's a whole saga around Lincoln's framed photo and Connor throwing it in the swimming pool. I covered my thoughts on this fairly thoroughly over at Flare so I won't repeat myself here, but as an aside, note an ITM from this Cocktail Party...
...versus the Pick-up (note the hair and makeup differences, and of course that background)...
... the background of which you may remember from Night One...
Anyway, back to the framed-photo episode, my favorite thing to come out of it was Jordan (with a return of the Too-Serious face!!!!) calling Lincoln the "first crier"...
BLAKE'S 1-ON-1
I found this 1-on-1 date activity very entertaining. While it's no secret they're milking Becca's breakup with Arie to a ridiculous degree, considering how tenuous the connection between date activities and "finding love" often are, it actually kind of worked as a tongue-in-cheek tie-in to generally destroying shit...
I laughed out loud when the tone switched from demolishing stuff to romance, with Lil Jon switch turning up a cheesy piano tune labelled "Bachelor" (note how there are no other labels on the entire board) ...
The above is one of many examples of how this show is increasingly willing to poke fun at itself. It generally does this more with spinoffs (particularly Bachelor in Paradise) than on the main shows, though, so I love these little golden nuggets when we get them.
In the evening, Blake solidifies his spot as my favorite...
He doesn't go overboard and overstate what they have and share. He keeps it simple but honest: That it feels natural and they "meld" well together. (Not that kissing her is like flying to the moon on the wings of a Pegasus while dancing with unicorns on a pot of gold... I get Lincoln's attempt at humor but statements like that aren't great for establishing #rightreasons sincerity.) This early on, this (what Blake describes) is exactly what one should want in a romantic relationship, on or off-screen.
GROUP DATE #2
For the second Group Date, Becca meets the guys for some good old-fashioned dodgeball training. Did you guys catch the Pick-up where she wears a generic black tank? (Of course you did!)
Even with two very funny dates already under Episode 2's belt, this one holds its own on the entertainment scale. I especially loved all the slow-mos of Leo impressively dodging (this made me really believe that he is indeed a legit stuntman!) and getting nailed on the rear while horizontal in the air...
In the evening, though this is what an ITM of the evening looks like...
... much of the commentary comes from the following Pick-up, which might look familiar...
I have a strong hunch this was a highly productive Pick-up room and we'll be seeing more of it in the weeks to come.
Colton rightfully uses his 1-on-1 time to be up front about the fact that he previously dated Tia (from Arie's season). I do think this was a good move considering it would be much shadier coming out any later in the season, particularly if they'd built up more of a bond by then. I also have to correct what I said over at Flare, when I questioned when he and Tia dated; when I rewatched it I noticed he did say that they dated in January. So that puts it very early in Arie's season, certainly before Tia might've known she was in the running for Bachelorette (if she didn't already assume it was a possibility just by having made it to Final 4), but not before Colton was in talks for the season. Casting weekend for a Bachelorette season is late January, and remember that's the final round, so it's after you've submitted all your materials and have generally jumped through a few hoops. In short, it's HIGHLY unlikely Colton didn't already know he'd at least have a shot at appearing on this season when he was with Tia.
All of this is moot, though. My main issue here is with the reason he gives for pursuing Becca and it not working out with Tia. He says the timing wasn't right for him, but that was only about 3 months prior. He then alludes to not having had enough time with Tia, but that there'd be enough with Becca, as though the only difference between these two women is the amount of time available to spend with and pursue each of them. (I realize this isn't what he meant but this is what his argument basically states. Maybe he was just nervous?) And believe me, if what you're seeking is TIME with the object of your affection, the filming process of this show is the wrong place to find it...
I get wanting to be polite and PC (especially on national television and about the friend of the woman you're pursuing) but there really needs to be more of a line drawn, of a differentiator between Tia and Becca. Honestly, I might've bought what he was selling if he'd just said, "Tia's a nice girl but she just wasn't for me; you seem more my speed", instead of vague niceties about having had fun with Tia but it coming down to "timing" and "time" in general. Don't get me wrong: I think timing IS everything when it comes to relationships, but while there were so many words uttered about it, and after rewatching this a few times, I STILL have no idea what he's talking about. I've said before that no one, especially not in this Instagram day and age, goes on this show solely looking for love, so it's not like Colton needs to be professing his undying love for Becca. But I do think if you'e got a somewhat sketch story to talk your way out of, at least make that explanation airtight. Perhaps some of this was left on the editing room floor? Considering Becca has proven to be plenty shrewd and ends up keeping him at the Rose Ceremony, I have to assume that's the case.
ROSE CEREMONY
Leading into the Rose Ceremony Cocktail Party, Becca is once again ultra-relatable in her 4th-wall-breaking admission that she thought she wouldn't cry until a certain point in the process...
Heading into his 1-on-1 time with Becca, Clay talks about wanting to show her that he can be fun and easygoing...
... but his tie/pocket square combo is different than what he's actually wearing here, suggesting the above ITM is taken from another Cocktail Party...
Not a big deal but one of many (many!) examples of text being taken from elsewhere and used wherever suits. It's possible Clay made an 11th hour decision to rip off his tie and add a pocket square before Becca arrived but that's far less likely.
Easily the best part about this Rose Ceremony was One Man Show Jordan...
... who has quickly become my main sales pitch in convincing Andy to watch this season with me...
Andy still thinks Jordan's in on it, I still think he's either not, or only partially so.
As always, my frontrunners can be found over on my Flare recap!
THE FASHION
Requests
Sasha asked about Becca's earrings from the shoot used for season promos...
Becca's PJs are a fantastic find and a total steal; they're by Target brand Gilligan & O'Malley and sell HERE.
Mike asked about Blake's color block sweater from his 1-on-1...
Blake got his sweater at Express but it must've been awhile ago because I couldn't even find a photo of it online. Further, the most similar options I could find are sadly sold out (HERE and HERE), making this a very unproductive request sesh. Sorry, Mike!
Jessica asked about Wills' floral bomber jacket worn in the evening portion of the second Group Date...
You guys know I'm a sucker for grandpa cardigans! I think this is a perfect not-too-dressy, not-too-sloppy look that shows personal style and attention to detail, but not too much of the latter. It's nice when a guy looks put together but effortlessly so, and not like he spent hours hemming and hawing over his outfit. Lincoln looks dapper yet relaxed. Love.
Worst Dressed
Once again, there were no massive misses! There were a couple of questionable choices (one or two so-so ties) but, like last week, nothing that screamed terrible taste or a lack of effort enough to land in this section. For the most part I'm finding this group of guys to be decently well put-together but on the safe side; no Diggy Moreland or Peter Kraus-level fashion statements, but no horrific misses either.
Becca's Looks
For the first Group Date, Becca wore a white, intentionally bridal-feeling number...
Well, this was just lovely. It's sexy while really showing not much of anything, and it's elegant with unique details (like the embellishments on the shoulders). Nothing not to like about this dress. Becca's Rachel Zoe "Ava" dress sells HERE and there's a decent look-for-less selling HERE.
In the evening, she wore a red jumpsuit...
Well, VA-VA-VOOM! This was easily my favorite dressy look of the week. She looked like a total smokeshow, and I love the dichotomy of a racy, almost lingerie-esque top with a slick, conservative bottom. I do wish she'd worn her hair back for this but I'm splitting hairs (as usual). Becca's jumpsuit is by Bachelorette favorite Randi Rahm and is thus couture and difficult to obtain. (It's from the 2017 Fall Collection) There's sadly nothing quite like this piece out there. A full lace option sells HERE, but if you don't have $900 laying around and don't mind sleeves, there's an excellent find (and look-for-less) HERE.
For her 1-on-1 with Blake...
I give major props to the stylists behind this fabulous (yet activity-appropriate) ensemble. It's incredible how a few little details (cinching her waist with a ladylike belt, rolling up the cuffs of the pants) can instantly make even a coverall stylish and feminine. Becca's Carhartt coverall sells HERE. Her Raina "Sierra" bow belt sells HERE. Her Timberland "Linden Woods" bootie sells HERE.
For the dodgeball portion of the second Group Date...
Several of you requested this ensemble! I have to admit, I would wear these silver shorts in a heartbeat. (I've admittedly been vibing with metallics lately!) She looks edgy, sporty, and relaxed. Oh, and that ponytail! 👌🏼 Becca's tank is by Alo and sells (also in grey and black) HERE and HERE, and there's a decent look-for-less HERE. Her Ivy Park metallic running shorts are on sale HERE, but since there aren't many sizes left, you can also still find them HERE. Becca's Nike Metcon 4 trainers sell HERE.
In the evening Becca wore a purple-y pewter sequined mini...
I like this dress but I don't love it. I find it a bit too young and "at the club", without any particularly unique or elevated details to set it apart from a sequined mini dress you might see at the mall. Now, I could be way off and in person it could be downright spectacular, but it just didn't "wow" me. Becca's Aidan by Aidan Mattox textured sequin mini dress is surprisingly reasonably-priced and sells (on sale—and there's an extra 30% off right now) HERE.
Finally, Becca dazzled in her Rose Ceremony gown...
This glitz of this dress made me really wish the stylists hadn't put Becca in sequins right before this as I think it diluted the KA-POW factor slightly. This dress was really gorgeous on her. The color and texture together almost looked like CGI, it stood out and glittered so much. I love it when "IT" is brought on this show and this ensemble did just that. Becca's Sherri Hill 51785 gown sells HERE. The best look-for-less I could find has spaghetti straps and an open back, HERE. Her Steve Madden "Fiffi" sandals sell (also in Silver) HERE and in Rose Gold HERE. Her earrings are by fine jewelry Suzanne Kalan but there's a great look-for-less pair HERE.
Until next week, fellow pandas!
