'The Bachelor': When in Rome ... go somewhere else
Guest blogger Carla Correa catches us up on The Bachelor:
And then there were three … and that meant overnight date time on last week’s The Bachelor. Last night, the girls dished on The Women Tell All.
Let’s start with this season’s overnight dates: Gothenburg, Sweden (Jennifer), Budapest, Hungary (always a bridesmaid, never a bride Lisa) and Sicily, Italy (Sadie). My first thought is that Sadie got a raw deal, because the other girls get to leave Italy, and she doesn’t.
First up, Jen. She and the "prince" head to an amusement park. Afterward, they go to an ice hotel. They get drinks in glasses (made of ice) and sit down on furniture (made of ice). It’s a fun date, even more so because Jen is a fun girl. At the hotel, and later at dinner, they have the serious talks that always seem to creep up every season about this time. Will Jen move to New York? (Yes.) How many times has she been in love? (Twice.) Will she accept the key to the fantasy suite to spend the night as a couple (Of course.) Jen really seems like a frontrunner at this point. There’s little not to like about her.
And then we have Lisa. Lorenzo’s questioning her intentions, with good reason, given her obsession with marriage. They go to a wine tasting. (Lorenzo, probably with visions of Lisa trying on that wedding dress, is nervous, so maybe he needs some alcohol to loosen up a bit?) They then go on a river cruise and drink more wine. They start talking about the show. She names her favorite bachelors of seasons past (including my favorite, Andrew Firestone), and then calls them "tools." In fact, she wouldn’t want to date any of the previous bachelors. Lorenzo asks her why she would sign up for a show if she hasn’t liked any of the guys she’s seen so far. She admits it's kind of weird. Awkward. Later, during dinner, we find out Lisa broke up with a guy only three weeks before applying for The Bachelor. Again, awkward. She then says she’d have to think about moving to New York. (Jen: 1, Lisa: 0)
When it comes time for the fantasy suite key, Lisa gushes that he doesn’t need to read it, because she already knows what it is, and she says "yes." It feels a bit like telling somebody that you know about the surprise birthday party they are about to throw you.
Sadie is waiting in Sicily for Lorenzo. According to him, it’s "Sadie Day and Night." The two get massages and go scuba diving (in a pool, so it’s kind of anti-climactic). Then, dinner and the big question: Will Sadie spend the night? She excuses herself because she needs a minute to think. Will this compromise her morals? She’s lost sleep over the decision, but she decides to take a "risk." I’m thinking: Hey, these fantasy suites are no joke. They’re big and luxurious. Certainly there’s a pull-out couch?
At the rose ceremony, it goes as expected: Lorenzo isn’t sure whether Lisa loves him or loves marriage. She is sent home, back to the wedding dress and wedding magazines, which, with any luck, won’t be out of style by the time she finally gets married.
Last night, though, Lisa was back — for The Women Tell All special. I was really hoping they wouldn't make this all about Erica. She was pleasantly absent for the last episode. To my dismay, she’s there, crown and all.
Lisa’s in the hot seat first. We see clips about how all the women hated her. I don’t particularly like her either, but I feel a bit bad for her. No one would want to watch people bad-mouth them. Ellen, 30, who apparently made the cut of the "10 most memorable women" on the show (although a few of them, I’ll admit, I don’t remember) tells her to "live her life" and not worry about a timeline. Desiree says she was "catty." Lisa says she’s not as crazy as she appears to be.
Next up is Jami, ditched because she seemed more like the bachelor’s sister. When she brings up feeling like she was in the movie Pretty Woman, Erica pipes up "Why do you want to compare yourself to a prostitute?" This will be the first of three references to prostitutes that she makes. (Later, he actually calls Venetian Agnese one: "She’s just like a little prostitute.") Desiree says Jami was "too much woman" for Lorenzo.
Erica and Agnese head to the hot seat. Erica felt like she was on Survivor because of the harsh conditions (no maids, flying coach to Rome). She has a lot of friend who are "obsessed" with her. (Queue clips of Kelly Ripa imitating her.) Please go away, Erica. Go to your mommy and daddy’s home and stare at the Paris Hilton poster that probably hangs above your bed. On a positive note, Agnese looks radiant and says that if Lorenzo had liked Erica, then he couldn’t possibly have liked her.
Speaking of the bachelor, he comes out. His segment is pretty boring (he says it was weird kissing multiple girls, the Lisa wedding dress scene freaked him out, etc.). He does offer this tidbit: "I know the outcome, and I’m happy with it." That doesn’t sound like wedding bells to me. He tells Erica: "You believed money is the commonality here. … To make this work you’d have to be a completely different person."
There’s some outtakes (apparently, there was a nest of wasps in or near the house). Jen and Lorenzo’s hot tub was too hot. Girls make weird noises. Pretty standard, and it’s understandable why they were left on the cutting-room floor. Earlier clips of drunk Kim falling asleep on one of her group dates were pretty funny, though.
To wrap up, host Chris Harrison takes a poll. Who will get the Prince Charming? The womens’ money is on Jen. So is mine.

