This week’s episode of The Bachelor was really confusing, really sad, and really, really hilarious. The first two things were foregrounded in the episode throughout; with these few girls, plus Chris’s feelings about them, something was gonna come along and make things not so fun to deal with.
But the funny part? Oh my god.
When that rooster crowed, right in the middle of Chris and Kaitlyn’s really gut-wrenching goodbye, I burst out laughing. I was nearly in tears. I’ve never seen something so serious and heart-breaking and raw get so smashed to smithereens as that moment did. It was a wonderful surprise that really took away from the show, and actually served to increase the tension for me, because I felt so freaking guilty for laughing. Kaitlyn was really crushed.
Okay, the rooster thing is done.
It’s pretty baffling that Kaitlyn got sent home. After Britt, she and Chris had the best chemistry; but that hasn’t seemed to matter much the last few episodes of The Bachelor. Britt, Jade, and Kaitlyn are all gone, and those were the ones that should, by all rights, still be here. If chemistry is the thing Chris is looking for; if he’s looking for a genuine connection, any one of those three would be better than Becca. But they all kicked the bucket. My niece has a brilliant theory about this; basically, Chis wants Whitney, but can’t choose her over Kaitlyn or Jade (Britt obviously left on her own), and chose Becca so that when it comes down to it, he has an easy decision.
That is as conspiracy theory as it gets, and I love it. That’s such a ridiculous thing to do that I actually buy it wholesale. Reality show conspiracy theories are the best because the whole show is already a giant conspiracy theory.
But even with that in mind, I can’t help but be a little sad. Kaitlyn took the loss pretty hard, and she should’ve; she and Chris had a perfect date and for some reason he chose Becca instead. If we decide that the conspiracy theory angle is out, I have to think that the Becca’s pseudo “hard-to-get” attitude gives her an extreme advantage. Her virginity and her lack of past love almost presents Chris with a challenge, and he’s been known to keep women like that around on the show for longer than they probably should. Ashley S. comes to mind.
Man, how beautiful was Bali? The colors of that place. It was so, so different from the world I’m a part of, and it made me want to travel (which, if you know me at all, that’s pretty shocking). There’s just something so rewarding about it all. All of the colors and crashing waves and sheer faces of rock; I don’t get to see that where I’m from. I’m romanticizing more than a little bit, of course, but the point still remains.
I was really pleased to see them adapting to the local culture, too. They seemed respectful and engaging, and I hope that was actually the case; the “Ugly American” stereotype is just that, but I do feel a sense of responsibility when people from my side of the world (Kaitlyn is Canadian, but she’s from North America, so shut up) go to places very different from our norm. There’s a lot to be learned from places like that and I don’t want it to be turned into some sort of joke.
But anyways.
Next week is the “Women Tell All” episode, and apparently Britt confronts Carly. What’s even better is that it’s probably gonna be two hours long, and I’m probably going to drink myself into a coma. Should be fun.
Power Rankings
1. Whitney
2. Becca
Stray Thoughts
– Arlington is the smallest place of all time. Whoever he marries, I hope they move somewhere bigger. If it’s Whitney, I think Des Moines would be a nice compromise; it has people, it’s still in Iowa, and it allows Whitney to have her career. Good times all around.
– I started off as not a Kaitlyn fan (I called her Joke Girl [my rapier wit] for the first three episodes) but she became one of my favorite people on the show. She changed so much. She had such a wall of funny-girl charm up and down then these last few episodes she really came out as this sweet, sensitive, romantic human being. It was fascinating to see; most scripted dramas don’t have that much character development in an entire run, and her change felt totally natural.
– RIP Bali; you were killer.
– Chris Harrison is too good at his job and it makes me jealous that I will never be as good at anything as Chris Harrison is at being The Bachelor host.
– Kaitlyn would be a good Bachelorette candidate too…
[Photo via ABC]
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