The Bachelor 3 - 04/17/03
By Wendy Thompson
Q. I must begin by saying you scored some points this week, as far as I am concerned. Most of your predictions came true. What is your opinion of last night’s episode?
A. Actually, I wasn’t too surprised with Andrew’s choices. I must confess feeling sorry seeing Andree leave. She is a wonderful person, and I hold a very high opinion of her. I believe she did not have much in common with Andrew, even if we ignored her religious customs. She will make a wonderful wife and mother someday, of this I am certain.
Q. You did say Amber’s days were possibly numbered. Tell me your opinion of her.
A. Last week I gave her the benefit of the doubt. This week I knew Amber was not going any further, after I saw several situations that were unmistakable. These articles are for entertainment, and I always try not to cross the thin line when I discuss my opinion of these people. I will not express myself using professional terminology, but I saw Amber bingeing on food much the same way she has done with alcohol during past episodes. The editors didn’t show her drinking too much this time, but her behavior was somewhat erratic during and after the rose ceremony. Usually, the person in question is the last one to realize there is an underlying problem. It probably surprised her seeing herself continuously intoxicated on TV, and will be somewhat on the defensive during the reunion show. I will just say I wish her the best.
Q. Talk to me about Andrew.
A. Andrew appears to be a nice person, and does not seem to be playing any games with the women on the show, but he has difficulty dealing with any of them on an intimate level. The only word that comes to mind, while trying to categorize his behavior, is that of being “awkward”. He lacks self-assurance, and seems to struggle determining if and when it is proper to kiss any of the women. He also has difficulty expressing his thoughts, and feelings, in a calm coherent manner. He seems to be more at ease dealing with his buddies than with any of the bachelorettes. In my opinion, this is not to his advantage, for he is making it difficult for the women to really get to know him. Perhaps that is why I don’t see any of them having any deep feelings for him yet. He does not have the gift of being “debonair”, and able to captivate women from the onset. In his case, you have to fall in love with him one step at a time. I just hope six weeks is enough time for any of the women to get to that level with him.
Q. You don’t see ANY one of the women beginning to have feelings for him?
A. In my opinion, Liz is possibly the only one. The problem is I believe she has two things going against her. Andrew doesn’t seem to be physically attracted to her, and she is coming across as being too immature and emotional, two facts I feel Andrew will take into consideration in future rose ceremonies. Personally, I believe he is keeping her around as a friend and confidant.
Q. What about Christina?
A. I believe Christina is very attractive, but feel she is too mature for Andrew, and looks older than her years when she is seen next to him. She also appears to be more interested in being Mrs. Firestone than in marrying Andrew, two very different concepts, in my opinion. She has something Andrew feels attracted to, but I honestly can’t pinpoint what it is. I feel she is overdoing the direct approach routine, and is too demanding and unrealistic when it comes to Andrew’s behavior with the other women. I can’t believe she didn’t know the dynamics of the show beforehand. I feel her behavior will overwhelm Andrew in the end.
Q. Anne Michelle?
A. Anne Michelle is another one who Andrew keeps giving a rose to, but I honestly can’t see any spark in his eyes when he is with her. She didn’t stand out anytime last night, and I almost lost track of her until I saw her in the rose ceremony.
Q. Jen?
A. Jen appears to be a really nice person, and is very pretty, in my opinion. She might surprise all of us and go far, but, at this moment, I can’t see anything that places her above the rest. That doesn’t mean much, knowing ABC’s habit of editing these shows to throw the viewers off as to what is really happening behind the cameras.
Q. What about Ms Glamour, Tina. Personally, I don’t like her much.
A. Somehow I have this crazy notion Tina memorized Helene’s behavior with Aaron in Bachelor 2, and is trying to maintain Andrew’s attention by copying her. The difference, in my opinion, is Helene was just taking one day at a time and being herself, while Tina appears to be acting the part. She is trying to be different, and is behaving like she is doing Andrew a favor by being there. Tina might be a real nice person, and she hasn’t done or said anything that would make me believe otherwise, but I am almost certain she has no deep feelings for Andrew yet. Sometimes, she even acts like she is bored while being with him. Andrew is disconcerted by her behavior, and appears insecure when he is with her. I noticed he begins to shift his position and sometimes fidgets when they are together, even having difficulty speaking in a coherent manner. Andrew definitely finds her physically attractive and glamorous, and is beginning to fall for the “challenge game.” She might end up putting him down enough times to be sent home during one of the rose ceremonies. Sometimes, overconfidence can work against you. We will see what happens.
Q. Kirsten?
A. Kirsten is an enigma. Occasionally, you meet someone who makes you melt every time they look at you, and this is the effect Kirsten has on Andrew. I believe he finds her irresistible, and ignores everything negative he hears about her. Kirsten is difficult to read. She doesn’t express herself very well, and her sentence structure, when she is speaking, is sometimes clipped, humorously reminding me of how “valley girls” used to speak. There were a couple of times when she communicated conflicting messages. Kirsten was saying something, while her body language reflected something completely different from her words. I honestly do not believe she has any deep feelings for Andrew yet, and her motives are a question mark at this moment.
Q. Any predictions as to whom will go all the way?
A. At this moment I am having difficulty finding one woman deeply interested in Andrew, except perhaps for Liz. I look at the group and ask myself which one of these women would fall in love and wish to marry him if Andrew was just a wine sales clerk for Firestone Wines, instead of one of the owners. I come out blank. We must remember this is not just about the principal character, as we learned with Trista, but both individuals must feel the same way for any type of long lasting relationship to work.
Q. Before we began our interview today, we were discussing the type of people involved in these shows. I would like to hear more about this subject.
A. It is my opinion ABC executives will soon have to make some changes in order to maintain public interest for this series. I understand it is not easy to find interesting people that will fill all the requirements necessary to qualify as contestants, but their current choices are not very satisfactory, and I believe the ratings are reflecting this. I feel the concept is still interesting, but, personally, I was not overly impressed with Andrew’s competition for Bachelor, and found them somewhat self- absorbed. I would also add the women chosen for this series seem to be very similar to ones from previous shows. I could make a list of names from the women in Bachelor 2, in one column, and Bachelor 3, in the second column, and practically be able to match most of them with their counterparts, according to personalities. If we take a closer look, they even resemble each other physically. I understand “the bony and physically enhanced look” is popular nowadays, but I am certain most of the viewing public would appreciate seeing, in these shows, people they could physically identify with. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with a personable, honest, and un-materialistic bachelorette, of average weight and physical appearance, making it into the show. Of course, you would also have to change the Bachelor, finding someone who looks beyond dress size when choosing his relationships. There are such beings living among us, I am certain.
Q. Let’s get to the ending of Married By America. A.T., you knew neither couple was going to make it! You mentioned it to me last week, after we had finished our interview. Confess!
A. All right, Wendy, calm down. I had the feeling neither would marry, but mistakenly thought Kevin would be the one walking away, and not Jill. I was wrong there.
Q. You did tell me, off the record, neither couple would marry, but I will let you off the hook, this time. Speak to me about Billie Jean and Tony.
A. Sometimes it is sad to be right, and this is such an instant. Billie Jean and Tony’s wedding was, in my opinion, an event which should not have taken place. I honestly can not totally blame FOX producers for the embarrassment suffered by all that attended the spectacle. Unless the couples had to sign legal contracts with FOX Network, which required them to go all the way to the altar, I can not understand why Tony did not end this farce sooner, sparing everyone involved the grief and humiliation suffered. I truly felt for Billie Jean. Whatever her personality, she always came across as an honest and straightforward person. She simply wanted to find a happiness that has eluded her all her life. There was no need to break her hopes and dreams in such a violent and degrading manner. Everyone has the right to be happy, and she is no different. In my opinion, Tony should have faced the situation, sat down with Billie Jean, and spoken to her some time ago, instead of being obsessed in finding out if they were sexually compatible. I believe he began to doubt his true feelings for Billie Jean after the family visits. If we analyze Tony’s actions, right up to the actual wedding ceremony, I personally feel he made our boy Aaron look good, in comparison.
Q. What about the big surprise, Jill and Kevin?
A. Jill and Kevin are a totally different story. Jill enjoys people admiring her, and possibly applied to be on the show in order to acquire some publicity. It didn’t escape me the number of times Jill herself brought up the subject of the Playboy photos, when she should have held it back, at least for Kevin’s sake. You know who is probably going to be knocking on her door soon? In the scheme of things, the financial gains they both lost for not getting married is not important to her. She can make much more than that with Playboy alone, if she plays her cards right. She is not Academy of Motion Pictures material, but I am almost certain she could do well in what I will call “specialized photos and motion pictures.” Kevin is another story, he appears to be just a nice guy caught up in the process, and I believe he honestly had some feelings for Jill. I also believe he is not as intelligent as she is, and Jill was emotionally taking advantage of him. It is difficult for me to believe she made such a complicated decision on the altar, right before the wedding. I find it contradictory for her to have said her vows, look sweetly at Kevin, and then turn him down. Kevin came out a winner; he just doesn’t know it yet. It is interesting to note one positive observation regarding this couple’s wedding ceremony; almost everyone involved walked away extremely happy and breathing a sigh of relief. How ironic can life be!
Q. As always, I wish to thank you for your time. I will talk to you next Thursday.
A. You are quite welcome. Next week should be interesting seeing Andrew interact, one on one, with the remaining women. Perhaps things will be clearer then. Right now, it is a tossup as to who will go all the way, for too many things can happen between Kristen and him, and the rest are just one big question mark.
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE SOLELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.
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