I’m so happy that many more of you have found this weekly blog. Thank you for making it (and the show) such a success. I have to admit that this is tougher than I thought it was going to be. I want to give you as much info as I can, but it’s hard to talk about the women without giving anything away. Obviously, I know how this turns out, and I’d hate to ruin it for you. A couple of comments to deal with before we break down this week’s episode. Amy, you get the best comment of the week award: "I’m not sure you’re justified to pull away any one’s man card." That was damn funny and made me laugh.
The men and women on the show can and do workout, but they have to get creative with how. The women do lots of yoga and water aerobics. There is also a very steep hill that comes up the back of the house by the pool that the ladies trek up and down every day. This season, Jason’s house is less than a half-mile away from the ladies’ house. Mike Fleiss (the creator of this show) came up with the idea to put the guys down in the "outhouse" last season. He likes the fraternity house feel for the guys. It just wouldn’t be cool to do that to the women. Making the guys shower outside is just funny, making the women do that, not so much. After date notes are delivered, we tell the girls as little as possible about the dates. Obviously we tell them when to be ready and how they should dress, but that’s it. We really want it all to be as much of a surprise as possible. The dates last different amounts of time depending on where and what they are. For example, the date at Lego-Land with Stephanie’s daughter this week took an entire day. We obviously keep the house stocked full of anything and everything the girls need. Every day we would get a new grocery list of things from certain kinds of salsa to specific acne cream to ping pong paddles. The girls get what they want. Megan was the bartender of the house. Every day she would whip up this concoction she called sangria, but it was really a mixture of every kind of booze she could find. No wonder the girls were so happy! Many of you mentioned my role in this show and that you wish I could do and show more. Well, me too. But this is the way it needs to be on this show. Early on, Fleiss and I got together and agreed that this can’t be a host driven show like Idol or Dancing. The bachelor or bachelorette needs to be the star. If I’m ever the focus of the show you know it’s a really bad season. I do like it when the show is expanded to ninety minutes or two hours. We always shoot longer date intros and deliberation room stuff, but we often just don’t have the time to include it.
Let’s talk about this week’s episode. Stephanie was completely shocked and surprised that her daughter Sophia showed up on their date. This was something Jason was very excited about but also told me he was a little sad that Ty wasn’t there as well. Lego-Land shut down the entire park for that date. It was a great date and the conversation between them was fantastic. How many of you cried during this date? Be honest guys! How about the Lego Rose? That is the first time in Bachelor history we have used anything other than a real rose.
One last funny note on this date. Sophia brought about 10 outfits with her that day and it’s a good thing. She had so much fun and got so wet and dirty at the beach and Lego-Land, she ended up changing several times. You might have noticed that she always had on a different outfit in every scene.
The group date was a bust…get it… a bust. Sorry, too easy. I have to give it to our producers, who are challenged each season to go out and find new and different dates. Not only did they achieve that, but they also found a way to raise awareness for breast cancer. We were honestly very worried the women would freak out that we were asking them to strip down naked behind a screen on camera. We were pleasantly surprised and happy that they got it and really went for it. Megan let us know the women don’t understand half of her depth. Then stunned us with her depth when she explained her fetus design. Okay, how many of you fell off your couch and then rewound your DVR to hear Melissa explain that not only did she have a breast reduction but at one time had double F’s? As Jason put it, that’s a Big problem. Jillian got the rose on this date. I always find it interesting just how easy it is for bachelors to be with certain people. I certainly see that with Jason and Jill. (See how I’m trying to open up for you?)
Natalie’s date was a dream come true. I believe it was also what caused her nightmare. Playing into all of her superficial wants and needs really exposed a side of her that didn’t appeal to Jason. As he said himself, the happiest he saw her was when she saw the diamonds. Good for Jason for looking past the woman in the hot dress and realizing it just wasn’t happening. That’s something that sounds so easy but so many of us fail to do. Natalie isn’t a bad person, not by any means, she just wasn’t right for Jason at this point in his life and he knew it. One thing you didn’t see on the show: After taking off the million-dollar jewelry, Jason gave her a very nice diamond necklace to keep. She was so upset with him she refused to take it and left the necklace in the limo.
The cocktail party was wild. Maybe more than ever the women were really vying for Jason’s time and his lips. They were all trying to one up each other. Shannon was beyond stressed and didn’t feel good that night. The tension was high and then Lauren let loose and told Jason about the other girls. Some bachelors don’t care much about what’s going on in the house but not Jason. When we got to the deliberation room I could tell he wanted to know more, so I figured let’s have it out. Jason didn’t know I was going to bring him out to do that before the rose ceremony. It was a win-win situation; Jason got his info and it made for really good TV. When I told the women to open up and speak freely about what was going on in the house, they were a little reluctant, but as you saw they did indeed open up. Megan and Lauren went after each other pretty good and Erika jumped in a little. Poor Shannon had enough and was feeling so much stress she made a dash for the bathroom. I was just happy to see that after getting sick (she did throw up) she didn’t try to make out with Jason. Megan was so understanding about Shannon, she should be a nurse! In the end Megan got a rose and thus set up more drama next week. At this point in the show the women are so on edge and so sure they’ll be going home they stopped unpacking and just started living out of their suitcases.
Sorry this blog couldn’t encompass more. It’s been a crazy week. I kidnapped my wife and took her to Vegas for her birthday, Happy 25th B-Day, Gwen! You’re welcome for that. Monday I left for Washington D.C. to cover the presidential inauguration. You can check out my coverage this week on Hollywood 411, TV Guide Network. This Sunday I’ll be on the red carpet for the SAG awards also on TV Guide network. Until next week, keep your comments coming, and I hope all of you have the most dramatic week of your life!
Check out our exclusive deleted scene below and read Kristen Baldwin’s ‘Bachelor’ TV Watch.
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Chris,
I really enjoy reading what you have to say after each episode. It’s interesting to see how much input both you and Jason have on the production. The rose ceremony this week was great. Television GOLD. From what it sounds like, it was your idea to get the girls to speak freely. Awesome job.
The DVR rewind button was definately working overtime this week. The look on Jason’s face when Melissa told him about the breast reduction was priceless. You can tell that he’s trying really hard to not stare at her breasts, but gets an awkward peek in anyway.
My girlfriend and I watch the show every week together. We really enjoy it.
How could Jason keep around Megan?! She is pure evil!! I’m rooting for Melissa and Lauren. Nikki is wacko, Molly is coying, Naomi seems nice but I don’t see the chemistry, Shannon is digging a grave, Stephanie ZERO chemistry *crickets chirping*, Jillian is hideous and annoying. Hopefully Melissa and Lauren will be the final 2. My original prediction was Nikki and Lauren but who knows.
Hi Chris,
Hope you are having a blast this week in DC. I look forward to your blog almost as much as the show itself. Your witty and honest comments give the show depth and wish we could hear more.
Chris, as always, your insight is great. Just finished with my own recap. It’s after 2 AM here. I’m wiped.
Check it out: http://bachelorlove.blogspot.com
PS – Please let ABC know how much I love their shows. I’d love to blog for them (or at least come see The Women Tell All) – especially since I am now unemployed.
Hi, Chris. Thank you for your blogging! I’ve been a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan for years and am enjoying this season.
One suggestion I have is, if you are having a single parent Bachelor/Bachelorette on the show again, maybe you could have the contestants take a lie-detector test about how they really feel about settling down and being a step-parent and give the Bachelor/Bachelorette the results. I feel sorry for Jason sometimes – he has such a limited amount of time and information with which to make such important decisions.
Best of luck with your busy and exciting upcoming week!
I was SOOOOO thinking the same thing about Shannen after her trip to the bathroom (but she DID kiss Jason when he gave her the rose, ewwwww). Chris, why don’t you tell us how much influence the bachelor has on picking the destination for the dates? I am always amazed at how naive the girls seems to be, going on and on thanking the bachelor for the great date. Now I may be overly cynical, but I’m guessing that the production team is really the one who came up with the concept for the dates????
Love your blog. It’s fun to get inside info. After all these seasons I wonder what goes on! Are the bachelorettes with children allowed to call them? I always heard no one can call home.
I’m enjoying this season of The Bachelor. If Stephanie loses she’d make a great Bachelorette!! She’s beautiful, has a great story – and tonight she showed that she can put her feelings into words in a poetic manner.
I like her – I think Jason likes/respects her as a person – but I don’t see a love connection there. She seems much older and motherly – no sexy vibe from them (even the way she told him to close his eyes and kissed him – it was kind of creepy). She’s sweet – but does seem kind of high mantainence – kind of like a girl in a lot of beauty pagents – even her daughter seemed like she was a pagent kind of girl. Jason seems more down to earth and low mantainence.
I can see some big, southern, Rhett Butler type LOVING Stephanie – but not Jason.
i missed tonights show and have scrolled my servers screen for the next 3 days(all that is available to be seen on shaw cable here in abbotsford b.c, canada) to see if i can catch it another day no luck…. disappointed… i wish it could come on 2 different times so i dont miss another episode (i just forgot the time ….got busy doing something else that wasnt important and am mad at myself for having missed it) found your website in desperation to find out the outcome of tonights show thanks for your blog….didnt know about it till now will tell my friends….look forward to the show every week …my very favorite one …. 65 yr old “grandma”
We absolutely love that the show extends beyond an hour!!! My teenage son, myself and my husband have fun guessing who will be chosen and who won’t. We appreciate your comments and the fact that you ask the questions we all would ask if we were there. Thanks for doing such a great job. The Bachelor has always been a show we look forward to watching each season.
I’m a dude who watches the show. I found Natalie’s comments in the limo after she left more revealing about her true character than the date and her actions in the house. The disparaging and vulgar language directed at Jason was incredibly immature and inappropriate. Glad to see he got rid of her.
So happy to see that 2-faced Ericka leave! And it was even more enjoyable that she had to watch Megan get a rose yet again – LOL! Now, Megan is not my fave gal on the show by far, but I do feel she is being blamed for a lot of “drama” that Ericka & others create & lay on her. Like Ericka bitching at Megan for “calling her out” last week. The truth was that Megan spoke to Ericka personally like an adult & it was Ericka who called Megan out in front of the other women. Then Ericka’s phoniness tonight at the rose ceremony trying to pretend that everyone got along fine. What a liar & hypocrite! Good riddance to bad rubbish. I think Jason’s smart enough to figure them all out eventually. Not a fan of Lauren for the bashing others to Jason, either – no class. And Shannon reminds me of Amy Sedaris on speed. What a hoot! Stephanie is sweet, but almost seems too old for Jason – she looks better without so much makeup.
Dude! Why do all the women always talk as though Jason has planned or chosen a date for them? How much input does Jason really have in choosing what’s done on a date? Do tell!!
Thanks so much Chris! Another great blog! I was very surprised that he kept Megan. Oh well, more drama!
Hi Chris: I have one question…how come in every episode of the Bachelor orBachelorette you come up to Jason or whoever and say “This is the final rose of the evening”…..we all know!
Thanks for creating this blog. Looking forward to next week.
Will Jason be taking more children on hot tub dates? 1-on-1 chemistry ain’t gonna happen with a kid around. Ugh.
Hi Chris, love your blog. I cannot believe Megan got a rose, I hope Jason ends up seeing her for who she is. I just wonder, did Jason keep Shannon because he felt bad for her, or if he thinks there is chemistry there?
Now that it’s a couple weeks into this season and seeing Jason interact with all the women, the one he seems most comfortable with to me is Jillian. Megan sure is being made to be the black sheep, but there is always one or two that create drama. I never saw any connection with Natalie and J. I think the last women standing will be Lauren, Melissa, Jillian, or possibly Molly.
Chris – love you and the fact that your blogging. Now the bad news
— If I didn’t know the outcome and like Jason as much as I do, after last night’s fiasco, I wouldn’t watch another bachelor episode. Please, Please, Please you are a producer. You have to know that it is too much with all the cat fighting every year involving the women. WE WANT TO SEE A LOVE STORY DEVELOP NOT ALL THIS WOMAN BACK STAB WOMAN DRAMA. If you think I’m alone, just go to some of the forums and read the comments.
I love your sense of humor and thanks again for the insider info.
I’m completely thrilled Erica is gone. Megan isn’t exactly a bed of roses, either – but I’d take her an extra week over Erica any day…
Anne has a great question and I’m curious as well, how much input DOES Jason (as well as past Bachelor/ettes) have in the dates?
I really enjoy you on the show, Chris! You seem like a real person and I like it.
I think it was great of Jason to wanted to talk to the girls about the problems in the house. Like you said, nobody else had really cared about that before. Smart move on your part to have them have it out before the rose ceremony. Great TV. Hopefully this helped him with his decision down the road.
Hi Chris,
I have been watching “The Bachelor” since the very first one. Did you ever think of writing a book about the
show and your experiences behind the
scenes of each season? I know I would
love to read it.
Chris you totally crack me up!! I so loved it when you totally stirred the pot last night. Can I just ask, is it not just hard to not just bust up laughing during some of that stuff. I was rolling on the girls trashtalking. I think Jason has done a great job on the girls(sans Megan)but I am SOOOO pulling for Jillian!!!!
Hi Chris,
Do you think Jason kept Shannon around because he feared that letting her go this week would compromise her already fragile mental state? Surely he can’t think that she would be a suitable mate and stepparent. I think she is a nice person, but really is too needy and appears a bit unstable.
The funniest part was when Natalie said that she had “explored herself”. That and the awkward botched kiss attempt by Nikki. My husband and I were howling!
The only reason I watch is for all the back stabbing and fighting. I don’t want to watch the lovey dovey stuff. Chris, I loved how you stirred things up at the rose ceremony. This seasons rose ceremonies are turning out to be the best ever!
The women always have such fabulous clothes on their dates. Does the show provide the clothing or do the women wear just what they brought with them?
Chris, I am loving these blogs. They are really, really great. It’s nice to see a local guy so successful. (I live in Dallas) I love that the show has been two hours. We get to see so much more of what goes on & it’s awesome. An hour just isnt enough time. I’m glad Natalie is gone. Jason made the right choice. She continued to go on & on about how she’s ready to be married and be a mother….Um….no.
I hope these blogs continue because I really look forward to reading it every Tuesday morning. Great job!
Hey Chris, awesome blogs. Maybe you could bring some of your humour to the deliberation room? That would entertain us and lighten the load for the Bach? Anyway, I must admit I am somewhat of a fairweather fan of The Bachelor, but I always watch the Bachelorette–not for whoever she is, but to watch a bunch of hot goys looking for “loooove.” More Bachelorette please!
**guys (oops!)
I absolutely love Melissa….I think she is the one to watch…
I’m so glad your bloggin Chris, because for the 2nd week in a row my VCR (yes, I live in the stone ages) stopped taping right before the rose ceremony. My husband, being the sweetie that he is finally said, “ok, we’ll get the DVR.” Woo-Hoo. I loved seeing Stephanie with Sophia, it reminded me of a certain reunion last season:)