The Bachelorette, The fifth Q & A session-2/06/03
By Wendy Thompson
Q. I will get to last night’s episode later, but I would first like to touch on the news about Helene and Aaron calling their engagement off, something you have been predicting since your first article came out. What are your thoughts on this?
A. The news did not surprise me at all. Too much time has passed since the filming of their last episode, and neither did anything to help whatever feelings they had for each other grow, especially Aaron. The news may have just been released, but their relationship began to be in trouble some time ago, they just chose to stretch the announcement for personal reasons. I believe Aaron was trying to make the announcement after the opening date of his restaurant, but apparently Helene didn’t want to play that game and jumped the gun. It is my opinion this was caused by a combination of three major factors. First, I am certain Helene was not impressed when she saw, on TV, Aaron’s actions up until the final episode. How would you like to have someone proposing and telling you he is in love with you, when he was still enjoying the hot tub with someone else the previous night? Secondly, Helene was not too happy to see Aaron continuing to enjoy his newly acquired fame, after the show had ended, constantly traveling to different events and not dedicating more time to their relationship. She was under the impression all the publicity would die down after the show, allowing her to get down to the business of getting to know Aaron better, and solidifying her feelings for him. She did tell Aaron several times she was not going to be ignored in a relationship, or simply kept as a trophy, so he was well aware of her opinion on this issue. Third, but not least, I believe Aaron enjoys being admired by women, and has what is generally called “a roving eye”, something Helene could not be too happy about. I am almost certain it was HER decision to end the relationship, even though they probably decided to say it was a mutual agreement. I always believed Helene to be more mature than Aaron, and she will have to look outside her age group to find someone who she can truly identify with. It is also my opinion Aaron is not yet ready to become emotionally involved with anyone, or to commit the time and effort necessary to make a relationship work. He is enjoying his personal projects and being in the limelight too much, and considers finding someone to share his life with as just another project to add to his list. He should learn that for any long-term relationship to be successful, both parties must compromise and work towards the same goals, instead of each concentrating their attention and energies towards fulfilling their individual needs. I’m of the opinion most overachievers, who try to handle too many items at the same time, ultimately end up neglecting their wives or loved ones, who almost always end up being in second place. I have a nagging feeling that our boy Aaron has not finished surprising us just yet. He is politically correct, and too busy at the moment concentrating on his restaurant and other responsibilities, but I believe he will eventually get in touch with someone he had previously let go in the show, even though I can’t predict if it will be made public, or the outcome.
Q. Well, come on, don’t leave us guessing! Who may that be?
A. Love has no boundaries, or rules; the latter is controlled by moral standards imposed by our sociological structure. In reality, a person can have deep feelings for several people at the same time, and feel attracted to each for different reasons. I am of the opinion Aaron was deeply attracted to both Helene and Gwen, deciding on Helene, as the show went on, but that did not mean he totally erased Gwen from his mind. The look he gave her, at the bachelorette’s reunion show, when Gwen told him she wished he KNEW, said it all as far as I am concerned. For a moment there, I though Aaron was going to walk up to Gwen and make TV Bachelor history right then and there! Chris Harrison also picked up on it, but he masterfully defused the situation by making a joke about Christie crying. That was many months ago though, and, like I mentioned before, it might be too late, only time will tell. It is ironic that the same words Aaron told Brooke, when he let her go on the last day, also apply to him and Helene, for they are both at different levels in their lives. I would like to add I am extremely fond of both of them, for they are exceptional individuals, and I wish them the best in the future.
Q. You know this is coming; talk to me about Joe Millionaire.
A. I must confess this show is beginning to get interesting for me. Last week, I wanted to see Melissa go all the way, just so I could see her reaction to Evan’s confession. I changed my mind several days ago when I learned of the true identity of Sarah, who fooled everyone with her sophisticated appearance, and has several low budget bondage films under her belt. I was incredulous until someone directed me to the Internet site where she has star billing, with a reference to her being of Joe Millionaire fame. Sometimes life has a tendency to award justice, when it is less expected, and I can’t see a better ending to this farce than to have her be Joe’s final choice. These feelings of ultimate justice are what this program is supposed to generate in the viewers. No one wants to see “Little Red Riding Hood” suffering because of the big lying wolf, that would be too sad, but most people do want to see a materialistic, self absorbed, promiscuous female getting exposed on national TV for what she is. Quite frankly, I don’t know which of them is going to shock the other one more, Evan or Sarah, when they eventually learn each other’s secret. I only wish Zora is sent home next week, for she has been one of the few women in the group who has always portrayed herself with certain elegance and only normal interest in the material luxuries surrounding the show. As a curious note, I believe there is some hidden reason for Zora to be so determined not to expose herself in a bathing suit. I do not think is simply because she believes to be a couple of pounds overweight, which, in my humble opinion, she isn’t, for she looks just fine to me. Anyway, that would not make any sense, for she isn’t THAT shy, and there are one-piece bathing suits that can make anyone look good. There is something secretive about Zora, but I am afraid we will never find out, even though I have a pretty good hunch as to what it is. Moving along, I feel we must all be realistic and accept a certain amount of interest and excitement from someone who is possibly going to marry a person worth millions. After all, no one is perfect, and even I wouldn’t mind owning Joe’s chateau in France, if I had the opportunity. I honestly believe Zora would accept the lie and go back to a normal lifestyle with her Joe, if she would have clicked with him and had fallen in love. This is not the case, though; she has no romantic feelings towards Evan.
Q. Who will he choose in the end?
A. Honestly, I don’t have the least idea, since I can guarantee he has no deep feelings for any of the ladies there. I feel his reasons for choosing one over the other will be as inconsequential as most of the on-air comments he’s been making for the last few weeks. I sense he is attracted to Zora because he finds her intriguing and mysterious. On the other hand, he likes Sarah because he finds her sexy, sophisticated and classy, qualities he apparently has not been able to find in any of the women he has met so far in his life. The final choice is a toss of the coin, but, for the benefit of the show, and my personal satisfaction, I would say I am leaning towards Sarah, so don’t hold it against me if I am wrong. After all, I am human.
Q. Allright, it’s time for your impressions on last night’s episode of Bachelorette. Last week, you correctly predicted Russ would be the one leaving next.
A. This last episode showed Trista as she really is much more than any previous one. I must confess I truly felt bad for Russ, something I would have thought unlikely several weeks back. Trista appeared angry with him from the onset of this date, and things became worse during dinner. I believe Trista got a first impression of Russ that was erroneous, during the first two episodes, and it bothered her to learn she was wrong. Perhaps she heard the words Silicon Valley executive and writer floating around, painting a picture in her mind that wasn’t true. At first, I believed she had been turned off by his aggressiveness in Las Vegas, but now I am not so certain, for he completely changed his attitude with her, from that day on, to no avail. During the following episodes, Trista still appeared to be angry and disappointed with him, frequently bringing up the topic of his aggressiveness for no apparent reason, and using it to keep him at a distance. During their dinner, on last night’s episode, she was constantly on the defensive, and her anger towards Russ peaked when he told her it was she who was not being open with her thoughts and feelings during the process, something which I happen to believe is true. During and after her dinner with Russ, I distinctively saw a Trista that was sarcastic, patronizing, and gave me the impression she believed to be wasting her time with Russ, wanting the night to be over. She was not talking WITH him, but instead was talking AT him, which leads me to believe she was deliberately trying to get a certain reaction from Russ that would justify her dismissing him at the next rose ceremony.
Q. Talk to me about Charlie.
A. She didn’t handle the question about her feelings any better when Charlie presented it. Her bold answer was that he was overanalyzing the issue too much, and, for a moment, appeared bothered he had asked. I believe she enjoys being in control, and does not take it well when other people take the initiative or contradict her opinions, even if she may say the opposite during interviews and conversations. She is very testy, and is a person who would spoil an evening for anyone if the smallest detail did not go her way, becoming very sarcastic and talking down to whomever is with her at that moment. I know you don’t like me to become verbose, therefore I will simply say she is spoiled, and can be a very unpleasant person, as I witnessed last night. That is just my personal opinion ladies, so please don’t tear me up.
Q. I like you today! You’re pulling no punches.
A. The enjoyment of being involved with these articles derives from being able to express my personal feelings about these subjects, without having to be my neutral professional self.
Q. What about Ryan?
A. Poor Ryan keeps writing his poems, and I just hope someone out there is paying attention, gives him a literary break, and helps him publish his work, even if his poems are simplistic. Seriously now, he is too passive, and Trista controls every situation when they are together, even when it’s time to kiss. I just can’t see them together on a long-term relationship, so, please ladies, write to him and ask him for skiing lessons to help him get over it. I really wish him the best; he’s the All-American nice guy every father dreams about as a son in-law. If I had a daughter, I would send her to Vail for a week’s vacation, with instructions to set a few trash cans on fire, just to try to pair them together. That's just a joke, folks, remember, the object is to meet the guy and not to be carted away by the local police.
Q. So, you still believe Charlie is the one.
A. From what I’ve observed these last weeks, Charlie is my pick. Of course, the show’s producers could be playing us all like a fiddle, editing all those hundreds of hours of videotape into a final cut that leads us to believe anything they wish. Remember that all I have to go on is what I see on these segments. I just hope they are not manipulating the show to make us believe something totally different than what really went on and was said by the principal characters.
Q. Who do you think would make a good Bachelorette II?
A. Wendy, this show isn’t over yet, and you’re beginning to ask me about the next one? I’ll just say one thing; this first Bachelorette series demonstrated you just can’t use the last runner-up from The Bachelor and turn her into a Bachelorette, for not everyone has the personality and charisma to keep the audience and the suitors entertained for several weeks. It is going to be a hard choice for the producers, for I personally don’t believe Brooke would make a good Bachelorette, as much as I like her on a personal level. She is not ready for a serious commitment, and does not have the personality to entertain 25 adult men on an ongoing basis.
Q. What about Gwen?
A. I don’t know what type of legal commitment ABC has incurred, now that they set a precedent by choosing Trista as the first Bachelorette. It would probably look bad if they went over Brooke’s head and chose someone else for the next show. Anyway, Gwen is a special lady, in my opinion, but she would not function well being the center of attention among 25 men, and is too introverted to keep the show interesting for so many weeks. Besides, I personally do not believe she would be interested in the project, for she did not come across as someone in search of being in the spotlight. It will be interesting to see who is chosen.
Q. Are you looking forward to the reunion special?
A. Are you kidding? Next week promises to be the most exciting episode in this whole boring series, as far as I’m concerned! It all depends on how much editing the producers performed with the guy’s personal opinions of Trista. I predict some comments are not going to be very positive, for I believe she has been seen negatively by most of the bachelors and the viewers, and the perception they had of her at the ending of Bachelor I has evaporated throughout these last weeks. I also look forward to seeing good old Bob again, who was the one who kept the show entertaining for a while.
Q. Thank you for this long interview. Will we hear from you next week?
A. Same time, same place. I wish to take this opportunity to thank all the people who read these articles and write to me. You are all great, and I take just as much pleasure from reading your comments as I do from discussing this topic. I am amazed to see this small project has mushroomed out of proportion! I also wish to explain that, due to legal technicalities and professional ethics, I can not provide any personal or professional advice on the net, especially since I would be giving opinions and advise to someone I have not personally met. I strongly recommend anyone who feels they would benefit from therapy to contact a local qualified professional, instead of relying on strangers who can not realistically evaluate your personal needs without sitting down with you on a one to one basis. It is also advisable for you to carefully check his or her credentials and professional experience. You would be surprised to learn we are, on the most part, pretty easy people to talk to.
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS ARTICLE ARE SOLELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.
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Article 6 Bachelorette 02/13/03
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