Drama, some cringe, and more drama - The Bachelorette - Ep. 3

I think the viewer discretion warning definitely served its purpose because I was thoroughly uncomfortable for probably 75% of that episode. That’s an exaggeration but holy cow… there were some tough-to-watch moments. To be honest, it was one of the hardest Bachelor/ette episodes I have ever watched. 

Though, that doesn’t mean it didn’t make for some excellent TV! It no doubt brought the fireworks. We’ll get to all those uncomfortable moments later in this blog :)

I want to start by saying this. I was clearly defending Devin a lot last episode. This doesn’t mean I am rooting for him at all. I notice that he can be arrogant, boastful, or even argue a lot. In fact, I don’t think he is even the right match for Jenn. I moreso thought that the abundance of hate he received from the other guys was unnecessary. 

With that being said, Devin feels real good about his relationship with Jenn. A part of that might be because I am not sure Jenn has seen or will see the entirety of what’s going on behind the scenes. Yes, she did see the back-and-forth between Devin and Aaron. Yet, Jenn won’t see all the arguments, conversations, or interviews until the airing just like us. At the moment, all she knows is the conversations and times that she has personally had with him. Who knows if that will change or if she’ll get more of a glimpse of that side of Devin?

Moving on, Spencer wins the award for the guy you want to take home to your parents. He is a gentleman and is incredibly respectful towards Jenn. For the most part, he seems respectful to the other guys in the competition as well. He genuinely loves being around her, caring for her, and putting her first. Which is exactly what Jenn said she was looking for before the one-on-one date. That’s a huge green flag if I have ever seen one. There’s a way about him that lets you know that he isn’t being fake or putting on a show. He seems like the person who protects and serves the people he loves. Spencer even said that he jumps right in when it comes to love.

The helicopter trips always look amazing because of the views. Yet, I always kind of figured that since it’s so loud, people are pretty much screaming at each other or having a tough time hearing the conversations. Maybe it’s hard to swing your arm over the shoulder because you are strapped into your seat. Yet, Spencer was able to pull off the romantics in a simple but effective way. Soft smiles towards Jenn, a caring physical touch, and just taking in the moment.

On their dinner date, I liked how Jenn responded back to his personal experiences with thoughtful questions of her own! They were specific questions that made me think… has Jenn experienced an ex who possibly broke her heart by cheating on her too? I know Jenn has mentioned her previous toxic relationships before. Yet, she hasn’t mentioned how they were toxic. She just seemed to resonate with Spencer’s previous experiences a good bit. If anything, this conversation only furthers their connection and shows that they’re ready to commit to loving a person again.

Now, we need to talk about Sam M. He truly started so strong in that first episode. His fandom was high! Yet, he seemed to throw a lot of it away with aggressiveness, disrespect, and his overly physical relationship with Jenn. 

Throughout this season, Sam M’s comments have gotten exponentially more aggressive and honestly concerning. Here are some things he said during this past episode: 

1. Sam M calls Devin an ankle-biting dog and that he isn’t worth a second of his breath or time.

2. During the group date, he mentioned how it was a competition and that he would “step on your neck” to do what it takes to win

3. He was shown audibly and visibly laughing/poking fun at other guys with Thomas N (his evil sidekick).

4. In the promotion video for next week, he was talking about Devin and stated, “In the real world, I would snap you in half.” First, does The Bachelorette not count as the real world? Second, this is a straight-up threat of violence!

   
   
   
   

With all that evidence gathered, I am going to conclude that he is incredibly disrespectful and a humongous red flag. I hope Jenn sees it sooner rather than later. At one point I turned to Lauren (wifey) and said that he was a straight-up jerk.

What might be even worse than that is his overly physical relationship with Jenn. The most notable part came in the final cocktail hour when he wouldn’t get off of being on top of Jenn when she said stop multiple times. That part dropped my jaw and I couldn’t believe what I was watching. I was even talking to my TV saying, “Get off of her” multiple times. How can you be that arrogant?!

That Australian Bachelorette said it best when she stated, “We have to be wary about those ones.” Props to her for looking out for Jenn so that she doesn’t make the same mistakes she did. It just seems like every time they are together, conversations never actually formulate and it ends with them making out. I am questioning if they even have a true emotional connection at this point. It’s strictly physical. My prediction is that he won’t even make it to the top 4.

What are your predictions for Sam M? Let me know!

The editors of this episode truly had no regrets and now it was pretty evident why there was a viewer discretion warning. It’s like they wanted to make me cringe or give me as much secondhand embarrassment as possible. For example, the sound effects they used were too much. The zooming into specific body parts was traumatizing. Even some of the outfits were a little overbearing. Not to mention Sam N professing his love for Jenn in front of everyone in probably the worst way possible. That made me physically shrink on my couch due to the awkwardness.

Listen, I understand how some people might be attracted to that. As a married man, it was tough to watch. I genuinely felt bad for Sam N and Devin who both claimed that they weren’t a fan of partaking in this group date. If you don’t want to do it, you shouldn’t have to. I wouldn’t want to force people to do something they clearly aren’t comfortable doing. Though, props to the guys who said screw it and gave it their all. 

There wasn’t too much in the other group date that caught my attention but here are some thoughts I had:

1. Aaron was the only guy who had driven stick before… he was confident in his abilities…he is also training to be a jet pilot… and he still lost the race. Come on man, lol.

2. I am convinced that Jenn would have beaten all of them in the race with how she was driving

   
   

3. Hakeem is still hilarious

4. Austin seems like a really sweet guy! As more guys leave, I foresee that we will get to know him more.

5. Jeremy disqualified himself from the race with a smooth move…yet, then he lost extra time with Jenn! I wonder if he was satisfied with the time he knew he would have later in the night with the cocktail hour. Which turned out to be a really nice conversation! Similar to Grant, I have been pleasantly surprised about him!

To continue, despite everything Aaron has been involved with during the season, his scenario with deciding whether to stay or leave for Air Force training is super difficult. It’s really unfortunate timing. It just goes to show you that the Bachelorette isn’t a fantasy land. There are still real-life things and scenarios happening all around them. I am glad he stayed for the group date to help him figure out his scenario and see it play out.

He even could have had a nice graceful exit to the show…but he had to spice things up by dropping a bomb on Jenn. Yeah, he didn’t need to do that. It’s clear he’s talking about Devin too. Though, I believe that Devin truly is there for Jenn and Aaron’s assumptions were wrong.

However, I loved Jenn’s reaction to it! Jenn isn’t putting up with that garbage. She even said, “If you think this is not the place for you to be, then you need to get out”. Good for her. That feels like a veteran move and I think it will show who is there for the right/wrong reasons.

Well, the moment a lot of us were dreading unfortunately happened. How dare they eliminate our sweet prince, Hakeem. I will say, I worried from the beginning about him being able to form a romantic relationship with Jenn. He brought the laughs, the good vibes, and a ton of fun to the show. Yet, I always kind of saw him being friend-zoned by Jenn in the end. I just wish it wasn’t this soon. He even left with a smile and hoping for the best for Jenn. Hakeem might already be my most valuable player for the season.

(Shout out the Bachelor Chick!)

Maybe…just maybe, we will see him on Bachelor in Paradise?! I could see him thriving in that scenario.

I also feel bad for Tomas A too. Unfortunately, I think he falls into the category of the guys who didn’t get enough solid time with Jenn or screen time. 

So here are my top 3 guys at the moment: Marcus, Spencer, and Jonathan. Also, honorable mention to Grant. I’m still trying to understand what the “right” fit is for Jenn. Like I’m not entirely sure what she is looking for besides the “ferocious” love she mentioned earlier in the season. I think these gentlemen have just shown both a strong emotional and physical connection with Jenn. You could say that maybe these are just the guys I am rooting for haha. 

As for next week, it looks like we have a possible ex coming into the picture!? I truly have no idea what to expect there. What I do know what to expect is more drama between Devin and Sam M/Thomas N. See you then!