It's clear based on the end of last night's episode that the weird Corinne/DeMario thing will be the forefront. Chris talks about the controversy again. Chris assures us it's all going to be okay and Carly and Evan will be getting married.
Carly and Evan's Wedding
They're clearly looking for filler because Chris reminds us about about Carly's history with the Bachelor and BIP series, then Evan's history, then the development of their love story. It's nothing we haven't seen before, folks.
Pre-wedding we see Whitney, who's probably counting her blessings that things ended with Chris Soules. And THEN we see a flashback of all of the other couples that have gotten married. There's Trish and Ryan, Jason and Molly, Ashley and JP (who, while I didn't watch their season, I have always really, really liked), Sean and Catherine, Jade and Tanner (I hope you got a glimpse of the weirdo that ended up on Nick's season there as the Maid of Honor! Also, they just became parents! What can I say, I love babies.). They conveniently skip Marcus and Lacy, since that was a sham. Wow, this takes filler to a whole new level.
The twins are at the wedding, Ashley's there, Jared's there, Tanner, Nick and Vanessa, Kaitlin and Shawn (when are they getting married?)--they're all there!
Again, more filler as we see Carly and Evan prepping for the wedding. Wells is in Evan's wedding party. Julia and Jade (quite pregnant) from Bachelor past are in the wedding. I'd write more but it's not that interesting. I will say that unlike Carly's mom, I don't think I'd ever tell either one of my daughters that I prayed for them to find a guy. If I were to pray for them, that wouldn't be one of the topics.
As the ceremony finally begins, someone plays some sort of instrument topless. Wells looks annoyed that his bridesmaid isn't very pretty. He also looks like a stroke victim whose left side was paralyzed and he's holding his hand up. The audience benches are a little sparse because the wedding went on without the BIP attendees. Evan's already bawling. Evan's always been a bit of a dork, but those two are pretty cute. Vanessa fake smiles throughout the ceremony. There's some sort of Mexican shaman aspect to the ceremony. There was a lot of conch blowing. Who's the guy sitting between Jared and Tanner? He looks familiar, in a random Bachelor contestant kind of way.
The Shutdown
Chris is back and tells us that production is back up but they don't have a cast. Who is he kidding? It's clear that all of these post-commercial segments were all filmed in the same day. Fortunately this is only a tease because (of course) everyone came back. Their entrance is recreated but the mood seems off (appropriately so). Raven's hoping for a fresh reset on love.
Chris asks the crew how it feels to be back. Chris has a serious talk about what happened, what didn't happen and what needs to be done to start the show together. It's like watching a high school sex ed class or a workplace sexual harassment meeting. Chris reminds everyone that Warner Bros. sought an outside firm to go through everything. They concluded there was no evidence of misconduct by the cast or crew. Chris asks the cast if they trust that finding. Not shockingly, they do. They blame the media for blowing things out of proportion, which to be honest, isn't out of the realm of possibilities. Raven knew that everything was going to be okay. And, like, Taylor?, she was really glad that the cast and producers came together? You need to read it like a question? Because that's how she talks?
Alex and the others talk about how they're not "controlled" and they have "free will." They're not pawns. They're individuals!
Taylor: "People think that reality TV is scripted? And people come up to me and ask that? And everything we do and say we decide to do it? And there are times where we have to do multiple takes? But that really helps the realness?
Taylor claims she doesn't drink. And nobody has ever forced her to drink?
Even Chris looks uncomfortable at this charade and that's saying a lot. Raven feels bad for how DeMario was demonized but no specific mention of Corinne. Iggy, the gossip queen, also feels bad for DeMario and the unfair representation. Iggy brings up the race card, which makes everyone uncomfortable. No, sorry. Chris bringing up whether race played a part in this makes things uncomfortable. As the only other person of color there besides Diggy, Jasmine reluctantly speaks up.
As snide as I am, this is a very tenuous situation. While I am sympathetic to DeMario being blamed, I think the issue is more whether Corinne was in a position to consent, not that DeMario did anything wrong. In these situations it's generally the women who have to defend themselves, not the man, although I'd say the cases that make the news are white men as the rapists.
Nick finally says yes that race played a part and the others are relieved that he spoke up that they all nod their heads vigorously. They seem to take DeMario's side more than Corinne. Chris brings up Corinne claiming she was a victim and the crew dismisses that and blames the lawyers for that statement. Oy, the "slut shaming" discussion is even more awkward than the race discussion. Raven brings up her own sexual assault and basically says she hopes Corinne's lying doesn't deter other women from speaking up. Awkward silence follows. Sooooo....in the Bachelor world, men still reign and it's the woman's fault.
Oh, it's getting better. Now Chris is talking about how to know when someone is giving consent. Taylor chimes in and says, "Verbal consent is the best?" Ben points out the importance of consent throughout making out with someone. THEN Chris asks the group if someone is passed out can they give consent. The gang seems relieved by that easy question.
Chris reiterates that they're all in paradise to fall in love and reminds them all to be aware of consent while they're in paradise. Oh, for after the show too. Chris THEN asks if they all want to continue the show and he needs a majority vote. He gently reminds them to be "honest" (as they all discussed with the producers prior to filming this segment). He goes person by person and they all say they want to be there. They didn't leave their "jobs" for nothing, so there are sighs of relief all around. Chris reminds us that Jorge has left but Wells will still be replacing him. Luckily for those that were on the chopping block at the original rose ceremony have bought themselves another day.
Paradise is Reopened
The "bros" get together and talk about the women. Oh and remember how Lacey left because of her grandfather? The timing of that worked out well. People need to make connections all over again. Rob and Ben are fighting over Raven. Raven needed a break from both Ben and Robby so she ghosted both of them. That's mature. The ladies aren't vibing on Alex, who could probably get away with his arrogance if he was several inches taller. Anyway, not many of the women know who they're giving their roses to because of the break. Dean lets if slip that him and Kristina hung out and Dean says he told Kristina to date anyone that asks him out. Taylor and Derek seem to be the closest thing to boyfriend girlfriend. The women gush and swoon.
There's a montage of everyone drinking and having fun. It's! So! Much! Fun! Forgettable Nick really wants to stay. At first I thought Taylor and Derek were talking about the rose ceremony but eventually I realize I think they were talking about going "all the way". I'd wait until the next rose ceremony myself. You want to make sure you're not giving it up for nothing, you know?
By some miracle Matt's made a connection with Jasmine. And yet, he feels a little pinned down and wants to keep his options open. Alex calls Amanda "wifey", which I'm sure she loved. Amanda talks about getting a dog and Alex brags about the dog breeds he likes and nobody knows what he's talking about. Again, if Alex was taller than the women his db behavior might be tolerated, but it certainly won't be tolerated when it's coming from someone of his stature. Amanda seems (rightly) annoyed by Alex and is hopefully thinking of ways to talk to other guys. By saying she doesn't think she'll get a date card foreshadows that she will get a date card. Please pick someone other than Alex! He'll be so pissed. Amanda is being too nice to Alex. For example, she doesn't Ave to sit and talk to him.
Danielle tries to talk to Alex and he doesn't want to hear what she said, so he asks others for advice and they all tell him to talk to other women. He still isn't hearing it and thinks he just needs to turn the charm on more. Please let Amanda get a date card. Alex pulls Amanda aside. Vinny and Alexis make fun of their conversation. Alex now thinks it's wrong to be a nice guy so he's going back to being a db.
Lacey's damaged past is revealing itself. She's been in bad relationships but she's astute enough to know that Iggy is full of s*** and just wants to hang out with his bros and use her to get rose. A date card does show up but it's for Derek, which is kind of lame since him and Taylor are already together. Lacey is the crier of the season, at least for now. It turns out that this is really about Lacey's love for Daniel. And we're blessed with a Daniel montage. Oh Daniel, you can't get on this island soon enough, although I know Lacey wouldn't be your jam. Maybe Alexis?
Taylor and Derek's date
Daylor (that's my new name for them) have their date and it's totally boring because they're already a couple. However, Kristina is starting to seem insecure about her relationship with Dean. Back on the Daylor date, it looks like they're going to do the deed. Thankfully, despite the cameras in the boom-boom room, they don't show too much. Jasmine gets frustrated with Matt because he decided to go to bed instead of hanging out with her Now she's the one crying. Dean tries to have a conversation with Kristina but he has no idea how to talk to women. Nick tells Kristina he's sorry but is probably psyched that he might have a chance now. All in all, lots of tears in paradise tonight. And this is the BIP that I know and love.
In the coming attractions, I'm really looking forward to Wells and his crazy puppets and crazy faces. Oh and Daniel's back so that's awesome too.
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