The Bachelor III –04/10/03
By Wendy Thompson.
Q. Lets begin with your overall impressions of this week’s Bachelor episode. We will zero in on specifics as we go along.
A. There was some surprises this week. The more I see this program the stronger my belief the group dates are good for viewer entertainment, but the type of events chosen do not lend themselves to knowing someone intimately. Still, I believe Andrew made some good decisions, and due to program guidelines, carried over a group of what I call fillers. I’d like to clarify what fillers are. Due to the format in the show, the main character might only feel attracted to a select few, but must give out the required number of roses each week, and carry over a specific number of bachelorettes. It is still too soon for any predictions, but I begin to see a small number of women Andrew is beginning to feel attracted to.
Q. What was your opinion of Andrew, in this week’s episode?
A. Andrew gave me the impression of being tense and overwhelmed throughout the show. He appears to have difficulty communicating with the women, on a one on one basis. There were two instances last night where he did not handle himself too well, in my opinion. The first one was while they were sitting in front of the cheerleaders, before the game, when he made what I perceived to be a couple of inappropriate comments. The other strange situation was when he took Liz to one side, before the rose ceremony, and asked her opinion on another bachelorette. I feel Andrew needs to relax, and just go with the natural flow of events. I have said many times love is something that comes natural. No amount of competition, on the side of the women, and overanalyzing, on Andrew’s part, is going to make the situation any better for anyone involved. I am curious to see what happens next week, and how Andrew interacts with his one on one dates.
Q. Lets get to the bachelorettes. Please begin with the ones you believe have impressed Andrew the most.
A. I believe Andree has impressed our boy. I believe she is very pretty, secure of herself, has strong values, good sense of humor, and carries herself well in his presence. It is too soon to tell, but I believe she might go far into the process. Kristen appears to have impressed Andrew. I still can’t tell exactly why, but his face lights up when he looks at her. Cristina is another one I believe to have impressed Andrew. She might have come across to some as being a little pushy, but we must remember she is 30 years old and more mature than most of the other women in the group. She is sure of herself, and knows there isn’t much one on one time with Andrew to waste it on superficial conversations. I believe Andrew possibly likes her mature and serene personality, and she is also very attractive. So far, she has successfully been able to walk the fine line between being direct, on one side, and overly aggressive in the other. She might also go far, as long as she doesn’t overdo the aggressive questioning routine.
Q. What about the rest?
A. It is too soon for me to have an opinion on Andrew’s feelings for Jen and Heather, even though I believe both are really nice ladies. I can’t explain why, but I personally feel Liz and Anne Michelle are inconsequential. I didn’t see Andrew having any type of reaction whenever he was with them, but I should have a more defined opinion next week. Not much of what I am saying this week is written in stone.
Q. What about the two Tinas?
A. Andrew himself confessed he was impressed with Tina from Wisconsin, and found her physically mesmerizing. He needs to go beyond her physical beauty and spend some quality time with her, to find out if their personalities and life aspirations are compatible. I believe it has recently been proven the “she’s so beautiful” routine is not enough to make a long lasting relationship successful. I don’t know why, but there is always someone in these shows who automatically becomes the unpopular one. I believe Tina from Tennessee will earn this distinction on Bachelor 3. I might be totally wrong, and if I am, will gladly eat my words, but I believe she is not only a little too abrasive, but has a somewhat uncaring and selfish personality, when it comes to dealing with others. I see her being the type of person that will plow through people’s feelings just to make her point, and confuses competitiveness with just being insensitive to others. I don’t know if she is a filler or if Andrew has found something in her he feels attracted to. I need to see what happens in the next couple of weeks in order to have a more solid opinion on her chances.
Q. Did you leave Amber out for a reason? What is your opinion of her?
A. I am giving Amber the benefit of the doubt, because I haven’t been able to see enough of her to have a valid opinion on her personality traits. I found her nice and outgoing during the bachelorette interviews on the first episode. She might simply be having difficulty dealing with the stress of being on the show; this might explain her behavior. Amber might show possible signs of having an underlying problem if she becomes intoxicated again, while being on the program. She was obviously not well during last night’s rose ceremony, and I always question if people realize how embarrassing they appear to others when they are intoxicated. I believe anyone her age should know his or her alcohol limit by now, and realize when to stop. Usually, there is a hint of an existing problem whenever someone becomes repeatedly intoxicated whenever they are exposed to alcoholic beverages.
Q. Lets move along to the big surprise; Christina leaving the show. I know you didn’t appear to have liked her much from the onset.
A. Christina from Florida was very astute. I believed her to be intelligent and a good judge of character. It was evident Andrew was not overly interested in her while being on the group date, for whatever reason, and she decided to leave before he refused her a rose during the ceremony. I am a believer of women’s intuition, or six sense, whatever you wish to call it. She is too self-grandiose and proud to have let herself be turned away on National TV. Of course, my other theory is she might have wanted to be remembered as the one who refused Andrew Firestone. Some people do enjoy playing those types of games.
Q. Anything else you wish to add, before we move to our next topic?
A. From next week’s preview, I could see something is going to surface regarding a supposed boyfriend of one of the women. This could be nothing, just pre-episode hype created by the editors, but it could have a bearing on someone who should have received a rose and, due to this information, is sent home instead. I am looking forward to seeing Andrew interacting with the women on the one on one dates.
Q. Lets move along to your opinion on Married By America. Give me your overall impression on this week’s episode.
A. At this stage, I believe the monetary awards offered to the finalists are playing a large role in what they are saying to the camera. This week’s episode showed more detail of each one’s personalities, and I found some observations disturbing.
Q. Please begin with Billie Jean and Tony.
A. I don’t wish to go deep into Billie Jean’s personality, but I believe, for many reasons, she is not emotionally ready to be a wife, much less a mother, at the present time. She appears to have deep-rooted emotional problems, and that may be the reason for her conflicting behavior, when one moment she is screaming and laughing and the next crying uncontrollably. Logically, I am not able to address this in detail, since I would have to interact and spend some time with her to have any intelligent opinion on the causes, and these articles are just for fun and entertainment. Tony is just floating along by inertia, and appears like he has his eye on the financial prize, more than anything else. At least he was honest enough to have told the panel he was not in love with Billie Jean. I have a problem believing people who claim they will begin being faithful to their partner the moment they get married. In the scheme of things, I believe a mere piece of paper is not going to make Tony’s personality change overnight. Being engaged to someone, and eventually getting married, if that is their wish, is a moral and spiritual commitment, which has to come from the heart. It is my opinion anyone who is engaged and still feels the urge to continue having romantic relationships with other people is not ready for any type of long lasting commitment, much less marriage and a family.
Q. What about Jill and Kevin?
A. Jill and Kevin, for many reasons, is another example of a relationship that will not last. I personally feel Jill and Kevin expect different things from life, and both are experiencing lust, more than anything else. These two individuals just met, and they already have problems identifying and being accepted by their respective in-laws. In addition, Kevin can’t handle Jill’s desire to expose herself in a nude magazine, and I don’t believe Kevin’s conservative parents will ever get along with Jill’s eccentric ones. This is a much different scenario than having overprotective parents who wish to control their children’s lives. For most people, having to cast off their loving parents just to be together with the person they chose as a spouse is a problematic experience. Kevin appears to have difficulty facing this challenge. I deducted from Jill’s words this is what she expects him to do. I personally believe there is enough evidence that shows relationships faced with this type of ultimatum suffer a downfall, in the end. I know I’ll probably get some heat for this, but I believe loving and nurturing parents offer their children a totally different type of love than spouses do. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a competition as to which you love the most. I believe anyone who places this excruciating choice on his or her partner is being insecure and selfish. Love doesn’t run out, and everyone has enough love in his or her heart to be able to satisfy both camps equally.
Q. Of course, I am going to ask you which of the couples is going to win, in your opinion.
A. Which couple will be chosen is anyone’s guess. Personally, I believe neither couple has a chance for any long lasting success in their relationship. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, I would have sent everyone home and begun fresh. On the other hand, the show can’t just end here, and one of the couples has to win, at least symbolically. If the voting public identifies and takes pity on Billie Jean, she and Tony will get the majority of the votes, at least so she can win the monetary prize. Others might have realized Billie Jean and Tony don’t stand a chance at making a marriage work, and will vote for Jill and Kevin instead. I honestly believe most viewers are wise enough to have figured out neither couples have a good chance at making their marriage work, on a long term basis. I don’t know if it was just crafty editing, but next week’s episode appears to be a mix of “My Greek Wedding” and the “Jerry Springer Show”. Judging from the few loud and embarrassing scenes shown, I have my personal guess as to which couple lost, but will keep my suspicions to myself.
Q. Thanks, A.T. for taking time to answer some of our questions. Will we hear from you next week.
A. Next week’s episodes, on both of these shows, promises to be exciting. I’ll talk to you then.
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE SOLELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.
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