Black Eyes, Crybabies and Lovelines...Just another day in Bachelorville!

Hello lovelies!  What a crazy night of Bachelor drama in Casa Cuckoo last night!!  From mysterious black eyes to stalkerazzis and crybabies, poor Brad is smart to have a therapist on site!  My head was spinning between Michelle's mysterious war wound, Chantal O. and Ashley H's crying fits and the long drop down that skyscraper!  Repelling is not my idea of a hot date...I have a crazy fear of heights.  However, Michelle is right about ONE thing...you definitely need to take a leap of faith when it comes to love, so who am I to say whether or not I would have strapped on that harness and scaled down the building like Spiderman!?  I have done crazy things in my life, as well.  OK, get your drinks of choice and let's get this party started!

What were you all thinking when Michelle showed up with a black eye!?  Many people have told me that they would have loved to have been the one to slug her....LOL!  I personally wouldn't put it past her to give herself a shiner...the girl is certifiable and is inching closer to the psycho from Single White Female (think of Jennifer Jason Leigh's character!).  Her excuse about it being a stress wound is laughable.  The only stress I would see is for whoever had to share a room with Lulu Looney.  Wrap yourself in bubble wrap before bunking down for the night!  What's that song from the 80's..."The Freaks Go Out at Night"...yeah, 'nuff said.  Michelle is my definition of a freak! 

The first 1-1 date goes to Chantal, who gets a date card with "How deep is your love" written on it.  Naturally, Michelle is pissy that she doesn't get the date with Brad, and when he comes to the house, she lets him know that she woke up with a black eye.  I would love to know what he really thought of that little disaster.  Hopefully, someone will ask him on "The Women Tell All" episode!! Chantal and Brad leave by helicopter for Catalina Island, where they walk on the ocean floor.  Chantal is very scared of deep water, but decides to go in because Brad's worth it. 

Back at the house, the second date card comes and it's a group date.  Michelle mentions that is she doesn't get the other 1-1 date, Brad may get a black eye.  I think Brad needs to invest in a good mouth guard, boxing gloves, and have a quick practice sparring session with Mike Tyson.  He'll need to protect himself from Michelle's right hook!!  Michelle doesn't like being compared to Chantal.  She thinks Chantal should go home, and it loud and very focused on Brad.  Ummm...last time I checked, Michelle was loud, annoying, and obsessed with Brad!  I would take Chantal with Brad any day over the resident stalkerazzi!  I am still wondering how she made it past the screening process for the show.  There must be a clause stating at least one girl for each season has to be borderline psychotic.  My guess.  I wonder how far off I am about that.  ;)

Back on the island, Brad and Chantal get a lot closer and discuss Chantal's first marriage.  We find out that Chantal was married for 4.5 years, and with her ex for 10 years.  She wants to get married again and start a family, and she learns that Brad wants the same things.  Chantal apologizes for slapping Brad the first time they met.  Brad likes her playfulness and feels like they have known each other for years.  He offers her a rose, and she accepts.  Cue the rain and you have the two of them moving their make out session indoors for the rest of the night.

The next day, the ladies on the group date are taken to meet Brad for a live radio show with Psycho Mike and Dr. Drew, called Loveline.  The show is about relationships and dating, and I guess since Brad has been in therapy and meets with a therapist on the show, it's fitting that the ladies have a chance to talk about how they are feeling through their journey on the show.  It was interesting to see how everyone opened up about their emotions and relating to Brad.  I was surprised that anyone came forward to admit that they had cheated in a relationship.  Stacey was the only one to admit that she cheated in the past.  Let's be honest...I'm sure several of the ladies were guilty of something in past relationships...but to open up in front of everyone about doing this is like putting fuel on a forest fire!  I don't think Stacey will last very long in the running for Brad's heart.

Brad did a great job of making the ladies feel comfortable enough to open up in front of Mike and Dr. Drew, and encourages the ladies to take the time to open up to him, and learn from his past mistakes.  A lot of raw emotions were played out on this part of the date, and the vulnerability and honesty comes through regarding how nervous the ladies are to tell Brad how they feel about him.  Britt took the time to open up and tell Brad she had a crush on him, and he sees the extent of her vulnerability.  I think that the women who take the time to express their emotions and thoughts will be the one to last the longest in the house.

Later in the evening, Brad and the ladies go back to the house and enjoy time in the hot tub.  The ladies are talking about how nice it was that Brad really opened up to them during the radio show.  We also see Ashley H. start her downward spiral into Crazy Town!  She starts to freak out about getting alone time with Brad, and cuts in on his time with the other ladies to whine and make sure he's still into her.  She interrupted a moment Brad had with Britt that ended in a steamy kiss that she called him out on.  Umm..sweetheart...if you start to act whiny and needy, he won't be that into you!  Have you not read the book and watched the movie!?  In any event, young Ms. Ashley is on a downward spiral that pisses off the ladies and makes her a target for what not to act like in the bachelorette house.  The crying fits are annoying too.  I'm shocked she isn't the spokeperson for Kleenex by now!!  Give her an endorsement, already  :(

Back at the mansion, the last date card arrives and it's a 1-1 date with Michelle and Brad.  The card reads 'Let's Hang Out Together".  I LOVED when Chantal O. pointed out that this was the only card that didn't have a reference to love in it.  As you can imagine, this sets our resident cuckoo bird into a tailspin and she over analyzes the card.  Darling Chantal...you scored serious brownie points with me!!  ;)



Brad comes to the hot tub and is clearly about to give the rose to Ashley, but changes his mind after she clams up about what's bothering her.  He takes Britt aside and offers her the rose instead.  Little Ashley...you just signed your eventual ticket out of the house.  If you don't grow up, you're done....finished.  Adios, sista!  Who blows a rose opportunity!?

The next day, Michelle is ready for her 1-1 date, but Brad pulls Ashley H. aside to talk to her first about what happened the night before.  He's concerned that Ashley's actions will cause what connection they have to be lost and he doesn't want that to happen.  He tells her to share how she is feeling, and not to hold back in the future.

In the meantime, Michelle is pissed by having to wait for Brad to finish his conversation with Ashley and complains about it.  I loved that Chantal called her out for what she did on the group date while filming the PSAs, telling her she created a scene in front of everyone.  She walked off the set, causing Brad to leave the women and deal with her childish behaviour.  Michelle tries to defend herself, but Chantal squashes that.  God, I love Chantal for being ballsy and standing up to that brat!  We should start a pool to see how long Michelle and her crappy attitude will last in the house.  Let me know if there are any takers on this!!  ;)

Once Brad and Michelle leave the house, she complains to him that everyone was talking about what happened to Ashley H. the night before.  He takes her to his house, and they are picked up be helicopter and taken to a skyscraper downtown L.A.   The date involves repelling down the side of a building to a pool at the bottom, where they will have the other part of their date.  Michelle freaks out, as she is terrified of heights, but straps on the harness and gets ready to repel down with Brad.  Brad also admits that he is terrified to do this, but they end up finishing the task and getting closer as a result.

Brad tells Michelle that he's very proud of her for doing this with him, and that this was an overwhelming bonding experience for them.  They dive into the pool, drink champagne and make out...typical things to do after scaling a skyscraper in L.A.!!  ;)

Later in the evening, Brad asks Michelle if other men have been around her daughter since her divorce, and she mentions that a few have met her.  Brad says he would like to meet her, as well.  Michelle tells Brad that she doesn't see him with anyone but her.  Of course she says that...she's perfect!!  Brad gives her the rose and she accepts.

The next night is the cocktail party, and Brad is making an effort to pull aside the women who didn't have a chance to go on a date with him, to reassure them they are important and he's happy they are still there.  Brad makes a special effort with Emily, taking her aside and recreating the scene in the barn with her by bringing a blanket, pillows and wine, to re-establish the connection with her.  As a woman, I can see why the ladies were pissed off about this.  He doesn't go above and beyond for anyone else in the 1-1 time, but no one dared to interrupt.  It's obvious that Brad has a serious connection with Emily. 

While I personally love this, as she is my favourite on the show, it's still a show with many other women involved and it's highly unfair to make others watch this go down.  Chantal goes into another tailspin after this happens, and has a crying fit.  She goes to find Brad and tells him how concerned she is about his connections with women in the house who are emotionally unstable.  She also says she's got strong feelings for him, but needs to be reassured by him.  In return, he tells her that he loves how she is independent, not needy, and keeps him on his toes.  Take THAT, Ashley H! 

Finally, we get to the rose ceremony.  Chantal, Britt and Michelle already have roses.  The remaining roses go to: Ashley S, Alli, Emily, Shawntel N, Lisa, Jackie, Marrissa and...wait for it...Ashley H!  Brad sends Meghan, Stacey (the cheater) and Lindsay home.

I think Brad made a mistake in keeping Ashley H.  The girl is needy, whiny and unpredictable.  While I think Michelle is a psychotic mess, I like the drama factor and am curious to see if she spars with Chantal in the future!  No doubt she'll dig her own hole and fall into it and off the show, but it's entertaining to see what ridiculous escapades she gets involved in.  As we saw from the previews, the next round of dates take place in Las Vegas!  I can't wait to see what drama unfolds next week!

Well, that's it from me.  Thanks for all of your comments and feedback, as well as your entertaining messages during the show.  I read everything and respond to your hilarious comments, and will always continue to encourage you to contact me.  I love writing the blog, and it's refreshing to know there are so many others who enjoy the show, and read my entries on a regular basis.  To be honest, this is why I keep writing on a weekly basis.  Thanks for the support and I will meet you back here next week!

Until next time...