There was so much goodness (read: awesome badness) in this episode, that I don’t know where to begin. So before we get into ousted Amanda calling Matt a "douchebag" (you go, girl!), I’m gonna pretend I’m a Bachelor cameraman and go where the skin is.
Can you believe Chelsea let them film her slipping into something more comfortable at the end of her overnight date with Matt in Barbados? You didn’t see anything, other than her slipping off her panties with a bedazzled "pretty" on them, but still. Ewww. That said, that long black (mesh? crochet? lace?) dress worked its charm on Matt, who needed to see that Chelsea could, indeed, stomach romance after she kept her distance from him on their afternoon dive with sea turtles. "The turtle was closer to me physically than Chelsea," Matt said. "I had better eye contact with the turtle underwater, with goggles and a mask thing on, than I did with Chelsea. I was gutted." At dinner, Chelsea explained to Matt that she was distancing herself from him because the other women, and the fear of not knowing how she’d handle rejection, were overwhelming her. And I totally get that. But I think he’s totally gonna choose her. As he noted, he’s almost said too much to her in regards to his feelings: we know his parents will love her, that he considers her one of his best friends, that he loves her sense of humor and believes they’d make a great couple who have a lot of fun together. And he really did look upset in his confessional, when he was dissecting what started out as the most awkward overnight date in Bachelor history. ("Matt: I think about you a lot." Chelsea: "Good.") If she does get along with Matt’s parents, the ring is hers.
After the jump, Shayne enjoys being blond (since she was 12 or 13) and Amanda needs Matt to say he’s just not that into her.
Shayne was Matt’s first date in Barbados, and since he’s no longer worried that she’s on the show just to become Paris Hilton, he was able to focus his attention on what really matters: Shayne doing split jumps on a trampoline. Canoodling in the ocean, in the sand, and in the swimming pool. Figuring out if Shayne’s dumb blond act is, as he suspects, just an act. Does she just ask stupid questions — e.g. "Do they have palm trees in London?" and "I’m intellectual — is that how you say that word?" — because she thinks it’s cute, and not because she doesn’t know the answer. I can’t decide what annoyed me more: That Shayne thinks playing dumb is a good way to keep a relationship "spicy," or that apparently, it works. (Matt said he "loves it." And that he could easily seem himself with Shayne, his "little monkey.") I do believe Shayne is smart, and knows when she’s being entertaining (schooling Matt on the art of the tongue-less actor kiss) and giving a good sound bite: "To be honest with you, I love being blond. I love it. I’ve been blond since I was 12, maybe 13." I’d like to say that her fate will depend on whether she knows when to cut the act (meaning, when meeting Matt’s parents), but I don’t think Matt really considers her a potential life partner. Telling the camera that he was "seriously touched" by Shayne expressing that she’s falling in love with him, to me, seemed like a nice way of saying, "I’m flattered. I didn’t think my little monkey had it in her." I could be totally wrong. Am I?
Last and, well, least, we get to Amanda. I feel like something had to have happened on one of their earlier dates, that we didn’t get to see, to explain why Amanda was sooo worried that Matt wouldn’t have offered her the fantasy suite. What was that about? (I hope Chris Harrison gets to the bottom of it in next week’s bachelorettes tell-all special.) They seemed to have a nice enough time conquering their fear of heights together on their ziplining date (meep!), but looking back, Amanda never seemed to let loose. She always seemed a little guarded. She definitely opened up to Matt at dinner, in the sense that she told him he was someone she thought she could be with forever, and that she’d had a hard time sharing her feelings with him because she’d never actually felt them before and didn’t know how to process them for herself. But she didn’t show her personality as much as she could’ve. That, I think, is what made Matt "hurt like hell inside" when sending her home: he thought that they could really get along without the cameras rolling, but he didn’t have proof. So he had to go with what he knew for sure, and that’s that he’s seen the real Chelsea and Shayne and enjoys them.
As for the rose ceremony, I thought this one was, actually, somewhat dramatic. Shayne looked hellanervous, which was kinda strange but kinda sweet. Clearly, I wanted Chelsea and Amanda to get roses, because in my notes, I wrote Don’t say Shayne. Don’t say Shayne. Don’t say Shayne. Of course, he called her name first (and she could barely speak to accept the rose). After picking Chelsea, Matt sat down with a stunned Amanda and insisted that he meant everything that he’d ever told her. Then, he made the classic male mistake of thinking that if I tell her that she has every quality I’m looking for in a woman, it’ll be letting her down easily. No, that statement crushes women even more. Because then we have no idea why you dumped us, and know that we’ll spend hours talking to friends trying to figure it out. That’s why Amanda said Matt was a "douchebag." When he finally admitted that he just wasn’t as into her as he was the other two women, she was cool. Well, still confused, but ready to move on. That statement is just harsh enough to halt a woman’s feelings for you, gentlemen, and that’s what needs to happen if you want her to be happy. (If you need a primer in what not to say to a woman, I refer you back to my translation of Bachelor Brad’s psychobabble.)
So, who will we see proposed to in two weeks: Chelsea or Shayne?
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Either Matt’s an amazing actor and he’ll choose Shayne, or he’s not acting and he’ll choose Chelsea. I’m 90% sure it will be Chelsea because the guy nearly broke down in tears when she gave him the cold shoulder. Too bad it won’t last. They seem cute together.
I was disappointed in Amanda and I too think something happened that got cut from our view. Shayne gets on my nerves – way too high maintenance. I’ve never liked Chelsea and now it seems like she’s the one he’ll pick. I’m not setting my TiVo for the wedding ’cause it will never happen.
I like really like Amanda so I was like shocked when like she didn’t like get a rose. I was like really glad when she like called him a douchebag though.
If he picks Chelsea he’ll get what he deserves. She is so hot and cold with him that one day they’ll be lovers then the next day he’ll be getting a noogie (sp?) from her. Shayne is way too young. I’m betting that this turns out like 99.98% of the other Bachelor shows and there will never be a wedding. If Byron and Mary are the only successful Bachelor match then luck is not on your side.
I can’t stand the way Chelsea will only say/show how she feels in the 11th hour. Matt tells her that he was uncomfortable and then she breaks down? Ridiculous! And, hello Chelsea, your parents just saw you whip off your panties for Matt on national television so you could show how romantic you are!!!
Hopefully he picks Shayne. Loved it when Meeps whipped out the d-bag comment.
It hit me last night that Chelsea reminds me of a younger Sheryl Crow. Maybe it was hippie shirt/shorts combo when they were on the boat that did it. Good job of editing b/c I totally thought Chelsea was gone after their “akward” day date.
Anyone else think it is weird they are going back to Barbados after the London visit? I haven’t watched the Bachelor in awhile, but I did not remember them visiting the same place twice. I get that London does not lend itself to beach clips, but couldn’t they go somewhere else?
Whoops, I meant “awkward.”
Oh, and I liked Amanda a lot, but she said like every other word last night. It was a bit annoying.
Chelsea’s too off/on, off/on. I think he’ll pick Shayne. They’re cute.
I really like Shayne. If I were a guy I’d pick her over Chelsea in a heartbeat.
Glad to see I’m not the only one totally annoyed by Amanda saying “like” every other word. Nice impression she’s giving of American women.
There’s no way Matt can pick Shayne. She’s 22! And he keeps telling us he wants to start a family, esp. in time for his father to see their children. Will Shayne really want to put her career on hold over the next few years to have kids? And I’m sorry but the dumb blonde act can only go so far. When Matt made the point that he’d sometimes like to have a serious conversation about, say, American politics, Shayne totally cut him off and whining, “but Maaaaat, I’m smart like that, really.” No way.
I think he’ll choose Chelsea. Being hesistant to hold hands is something you can work through and get over as a couple, but a lack of brain cells ain’t.
Yeah, I, like, think that Matt, like, was sick of, like, hearing a certain word over and over and over and over. I would have told her that was the, like, reason for, like, punting her.
Not sure you could say Byron and Mary are a successful Bachelor match: they have yet to get married, and last time we heard about them, hadn’t she been arrested for drunk/disorderly/assault against him? If he went back to her after that…
If Matt is thinking with his brain next week, he’ll pick Chelsea. If thinking with his nether regions…Shayne. And the new drinking game: take a shot when Chelsea says “like” and two shots when Matt says “brilliant.” You’ll pass out before the end of the show.
Oops…meant to say everytime Amanda said “like”…maybe it’s take a drink for that, and a drink for every time Chelsea treats Matt like her best buddy and he then pouts.
Am I misremembering? Last week, I thought in the preview of the final rose ceremony, they showed someone with black fingernail polish; this week it looked like the person had white fingernail polish. Did anyone else catch this?
Don’t forget Trista and Ryan…married and a baby boy.
shayne is BY FAR the better of the two women from this male’s perspective. she’s more honest, more mature, more adorable, and less buggy then the “oh oh, we’re holding hands!” chelsea. that said, he’s going to pick chelsea without a doubt. he was looking for anything to justify her complete disregard for him, and he got it with the “other women” line, even though it’s a weak excuse. he’ll pick chelsea, shayne will be sad for a little while and realize she’s better for it (if she hasn’t already through watching the show), and we’ll hear soon that matt and chelsea have “gone their separate ways but remain great friends”. so in other words, just another bachelor.
Nooooooo! He turfed Amanda. Sigh. There goes my record of “picked the winner on first sight”.
It’ll be Chelsea. That catamaran thing looked a bit suspicious – as if they’re so obviously in love that the producers had to manufacture some doubt. In which case, they’re better actors than Shayne, so maybe it was real. Can’t believe they tricked me.
I would wager that 90% of the red-blooded men out there would choose Shayne in a second. She’s the most attractive woman the show has had and she’s hot. Chelsea would drive him crazy (so would Shayne, but in a good way).
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed and was totally ANNOYED by how many times Amanda said “like” when talking to Matt during the dinner portion of their date. I really think he may have dumped her for that alone. I would have loved it if he said that was the reason why she didn’t get a rose . . . “I, like, didn’t pick you, like, because, well, like, you say like, like way too much and you sound like a complete idiot. Like.”
The “hand shot” of the rose ceremony they showed last night is the same one from last week. Still the tan, nicely manicured hand with little to no nail polish…
Go Shayne!
AGREE ON AMANDA AND THE WORD “LIKE”!!! God, she bored me to tears and I was ready to turn off the tv anytime she spoke. I don’t know how she stuck around so long. Still rooting for Shayne. Loved her cute black bathing suit- seriously! Chelsea seems to be getting prettier with every episode but I find it odd that she is not touchy feely at all and then whips out that dress (which by the way, was she wearing same dress at the rose ceremony?)
Also, Matt was totally cracking me up when he was going on and on about making eye contact with the turtle.
I thought Chelsea was wearing the same dress at the rose ceremony too! Seemed a little sombre for the beach.
If you noticed in the previews for next week…the nicely manicured thumbnail present in the hand holding scene for the final rose, matched exactly Chelsea’s thumbnail while she buckled her shoes to go to said final rose ceremony. GO GIRL!
I don’t really find Chelsea’s un-assuredness (nope, probably not a REAL word but I’m using it anyway) all that unusual. I “get” the premise of the show, but I think it’s far more strange to declare your undying love for someone after knowing them, what, 3 weeks?
I can’t believe out of 25 women, these are the two women he ended up with!! Neither one are marriage material. He like is not as smart as I thought – like I thought he was looking for a wife and not – like a short term relationship, because – like that is what he is ending up with. Maybe he really is a dbag!
I think it is a bit silly to speculate on who wins by looking at the hand/manicure in the previews for the final ceremony.
We all know what kind of editing they do on this show. That close up shot of the hand could have been during any moment of the final rose ceremony. Just because they showed him getting down on his knee in the previous shot doesn’t mean the hand being held is from the following shot.
I’m incredibly impressed that you have any idea what Amanda said to Matt during dinner, or at any other point during their date. All I heard was “like, y’know, like, y’know, like, y’know.”
I know it’s been mentioned before, but wouldn’t Shayne be an awesome-ratings-bachelorette? She would have a blast, her career goals might be met, and the guys would be throwing themselves at her. She’d probably need a lot of monitoring but she seems capable of handling it.
Oh, believe me…I know how manipulative the ol’ editing can be. And I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the girls had the identical manicures anyway, just in case! I bet a mani/pedi/hairdo’n day is part of the gettin ready for the final ceremony. I was just wishing out loud.