Here we go again. Another revolution around the sun, and a brand new season of The Bachelor that will probably make me want to hurl myself into the sun. Big wheel keep on turnin‘, The Bachelor keep on burnin‘ (as fueled by a million candles and a bottomless tank of lady-on-lady hatred)..Last season, we watched as Ben Flajnik (there he is, sitting on the world‘s most uncomfortable and least sexy chair!), the adorable weirdo with a quasi-lesbian haircut, fell slow and hard for Ashley Hebert (star of the new FOX movie, Chipwrecked!) But when he proposed, she said no, so he said back, "Good things don‘t end, unless they end badly." And sometimes bad things don‘t end at all. Like this show, which has been on for approximately 86 seasons and 10 million years. Read more »

Woof. What a Bachelor premiere, right? Ben is surely one of the most normal human beings, and thus one of the strangest Bachelors, ever to headline the show. He‘s so calm and composed, but instead of laying on the charm, he mostly just sits there and lets his hair do all the work. I know he was low-key on The Bachelorette, but now that the spotlight is on him and he still can‘t emote past "this is pretty cool," he just seems bored.And swarming around Ben‘s cocoon of eerie calmness, those WOMEN. Especially rabid and cloying and off-putting, aren‘t they? I actually can‘t remember a season of The Bachelor that, on first impression, offered up so few genuinely good candidates. Maybe, after a few more episodes, more of the girls will reveal themselves to be more likeable, but for now, Ben‘s best options include the girl who rode in on a horse and the girl who rapped. That doesn‘t bode too well for Ben, but it does for us.What about the ones who didn‘t get roses? And what‘s in store for the 18 women who did? Watch two deleted scenes from last night‘s premiere, plus a sneak peek of next Monday‘s Bachelor episode, which immediately takes the group on the road: Read more »

In support of the start of his Bachelor season on Monday, Ben Flajnik has been making the media rounds this week, and yesterday he stopped by Access Hollywood to discuss highlights from the premiere."Granny was a sweetheart," Ben said of Sheryl, contestant Brittney‘s grandmother who tagged along to tell Ben how much she adored him and wanted him as a grandson-in-law. "I like older women," he joked. Sounds like Brittney‘s plan may indeed have backfired: She didn‘t make as much of an impression as her grandma did.PhD student Emily made a good impression when she rapped her feelings to Ben -- which must be why she‘ll be doing it again later this season. Ben teased, "You‘ll see a little bit more of that."  Read more »

You‘ve enjoyed our recaps, scoured our site for spoilers and spent countless hours padding your score on our trivia challenges. Now become a part of our team! BuddyTV is looking for more passionate, diligent, fanatical Volunteer Fan Columnists interested in submitting the 10 Best Quotes and 10 Best Tweets for a wide range of their favorite shows in return for byline credit.We‘re looking for Volunteer Fan Columnists for the following shows:  Read more »

Are you ready for your first wet ‘n‘ wild make-out of the season, Bachelor fans? Yeah, me neither. But it‘s happening anyway. On the next episode, Ben takes his remaining ladies to his hometown of Sonoma (watch another sneak peek here!), where a PG-rated group date does nothing to keep anyone‘s carnal desires in check. All it takes is a pool, a shirtless Bachelor and a swarm of willing and bikini-clad bachelorettes ... to turn this week‘s episode into a nasty, name-calling nightmare.  Read more »

Everyone‘s talking about this week‘s Bachelor premiere. Well, the handful of us who watched it, anyway. Two hours with that fiery mop-top Ben Flajnik and his gaggle of self-possessed, enchanting suitresses just wasn‘t enough to contain and answer all our burning questions about the beautiful love story that we all began together on Monday night. Too many feelings to explore! Too many first impressions to ponder! Too many first-night rejects named Amber who enjoy eating fried bovine testicles to ask about the pointless drunken evening she spent with a group of strangers several months ago! Luckily, if there is one thing that everyone on The Bachelor loves more than themselves, it‘s to talk. About themselves. So let‘s take a look at what Ben, Chris Harrison and ABC‘s extra-special dumpee of the week, Amber, have been saying this week about love, loss and that wondrous lunatic named Jenna:  Read more »

Well, that‘s a question I‘m pretty sure has never, in the history of the world, been asked before. Leave it to the vicious ladies of The Bachelor, and their inappropriately exposed breasts, to break new linguistic ground in their attempts to break each other‘s spirits.What am I talking about, you ask? Well, for his first group date of the season, Ben accompanies 12 of his ladies to a park in Sonoma, where they‘re tasked with performing a play written by some local kids. There, each woman auditions for the children, and is then given a role and a ridiculous costume. And one woman elects to bounce around in a tiny, cleavage-baring romper in front of the kiddies, until she‘s thankfully covered up by a cookie.You know what? You‘d better just watch the clip for yourself: Read more »

As you probably know, The Bachelor has major competition tonight, with the BCS Championship game airing at 8:30pm ET. Maybe that‘s why ABC has bestowed upon us no fewer than five sneak peeks of tonight‘s intensely competitive Bachelor episode, wrapping up with the super-bitchy, super-enticing one below. You see, The Bachelor and a college football game aren‘t that different: They‘re both extremely long, insanely competitive and (even though there‘s rarely much non-sexual tackling on The Bachelor) highly dangerous for the players. Especially for anyone who dares to go up against Courtney "I‘m a mahhhhhdull" Robertson, who‘s already rushing to be named this season‘s dirtiest player. Because that is one delicious difference between The Bachelor and football: In football, you get a penalty for playing dirty. On The Bachelor, you get a rose. Watch the sneak peek, plus take a peek at some other news bits before tonight‘s new episode (Monday, 8-10pm on ABC):  Read more »

It‘s only week 2 of The Bachelor, and already we‘re on the move. We open on the bucolic fields of Sonoma, California, then cut to a home video of teenage Ben Flajnik walking his little dog down the street. Oh, that‘s Ben now? My mistake. But in my defense, he‘s wearing cargo shorts and tinted sunglasses. Ben says he‘s excited to share his hometown with the 18 remaining women, whom we then see drinking champagne in the back of three convertibles as they drive through the countryside on their way to Sonoma. Wait, is that legal? Maybe there‘s a law in Sonoma that says if your passenger is already drunk when she enters the car, she can continue drinking in the car. It really IS paradise!  Read more »

Take heart, fellow heartless Bachelor-heads. When one door to an emotionally unstable woman‘s deepest nightmares closes, another one opens. Some of us worried last night, when Jenna -- unofficially dubbed "Scary Bradshaw" because she‘s a New York-based blogger who collects insecurities instead of shoes -- was eliminated. Would the crazy on this season of The Bachelor die with her?Well, of course it won‘t. First of all, we still have Blakeley the Cocktail Waitress and Evil Courtney to keep the flame alive. And next week, a ghost -- an ACTUAL ghost! except not literally -- will return to the show to spook the rest of the women, including the ones who seemed relatively well-balanced up until now. The ghost takes no prisoners. All will be driven to jealous insanity! I hope that makes Jenna feel a little better as she watches the show next week, chained to a bed in whichever mental institution that limo dropped her off at. She may be alone. But she‘s not alone in her madness.Watch Jenna‘s "diary of the departed," plus two more deleted scenes from last night‘s Bachelor episode and the preview for next week‘s episode which reveals the identity of the scary ghooost: Read more »

The Bachelor had some competition with The National Championship game between Alabama and LSU, and last minute updates before the Republican Primary. This, however, did not stop the show‘s loyal fan base from coming out in force.  After two episodes we have already been introduced to two animals, with Scotch, Ben‘s terrier gathering lots of support on Twitter this time around. I wonder what or who will be introduced to us next. Here are the tweets that stood out from this week‘s Bachelor. Be careful, there are spoilers coming up. Read more »

I suppose that we should never be surprised anymore when a Bachelor contestant has a change of heart. But this one does come as a bit of a shock, given that, since she broke it off with twice-Bachelor Brad Womack after season 15, single mom Emily Maynard said over and over that she‘d never want to star on The Bachelorette. Now, according to spoiler king Reality Steve, that‘s exactly what she‘ll be doing come March, when The Bachelorette season 8 begins filming.Why Emily‘s change of heart? Steve speculates it probably has something to do with another early spoiler he got his hands on: In order to accommodate Emily‘s family life (a.k.a. lure her in), ABC has reportedly offered to move the bulk of filming to Emily‘s hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Read more »

"When you talk about love 24/7, it‘s not really normal. It kind of makes you a little bit nervous. I started thinking of this as one big therapy session, and I kind of broke down. That‘s how I look at it. I got a lot out."So said New York-based blogger, 27, and self-described "Over-Analyst" Jenna Burke in her conference call with the media this morning, effectively explaining why she became so overemotional during almost every moment we saw her on The Bachelor these past two weeks. Jenna‘s time spent locked in the bathroom and curled up in the fetal position (not to mention her traumatic exit) ought to prove it: The Bachelor is not therapy for its contestants. For the strong ones, The Bachelor is the ultimate test of their stability and stamina. And for the weak, with all its competition and confrontation, The Bachelor is more therapy-inducing than anything else.Now, months after the experience, watching herself sob and shudder on television is an admittedly uncomfortable experience for Burke, but "I look back at those moments and laugh," she says. And she understands now that, "This is a very intense show, and you need to be at a strong point in your life."Why wasn‘t Jenna at a strong point in her life? Why did she break down not once, but twice, at both the Bachelor cocktail parties she attended? Does she still have beef with Monica? And what does she think of all the internet mockery that‘s come her way since The Bachelor began? Read on for highlights from Jenna‘s surprisingly candid and self-effacing interview. The Over-Analyst may have lived up to her name and completely botched the main performance, but at least she stuck the landing. Read more »

You may want to invest in some protective gear before Monday‘s Bachelor episode, because according to Chris Harrison, next week‘s cocktail party is going nuclear. The not-so-mystery guest will cause a "category-five meltdown" with the other women. (For this and so many other reasons, it‘s a good thing already-unstable Jenna got out while she did.)With a teaser like that, I know it‘s extra-tough to wait for Monday. But here are some more Bachelor bits to tide you over until the apocalyptic third episode: Read more »

For East Coasters, only a few short hours separate you and tonight‘s new episode of The Bachelor. You don‘t need no stinking sneak peeks. It‘s almost time for the whole shebang. But, as I fear tonight‘s episode may cause me to perish of a stupidity overdose before I publish my recap, I thought it best to post these sneak peeks anyway. So, if you never hear from me again, you‘ll know it was the returning funeral director‘s fault. You see, as this first video shows, it used to be Shawntel‘s occupation as an undertaker that struck fear in the hearts of men. (Well, if Brad Womack counts as one of those.) Now it‘s her completely unfounded belief that Ben Flajnik, whom I‘m fairly certain she has NEVER met, is her soulmate that may prove deadly. Because it‘s so embarrassing and false that I might die: Read more »

Today, in one of our embarrassingly plentiful discussions about The Bachelor, my friend/co-worker/inspiration Carla Patton (who also happens to begin her coverage of American Idol on this website this week, and she‘s hilarious so READ IT!) made what I thought is an insightful point about why Ben Flajnik‘s season has, for lack of a better term, stunk so far. She said that while "Ben is nice," he seems to realize that he‘s creating television, so he‘s saying things and making choices because he thinks they will make good TV. And because he is doing that consciously, it no longer makes for good TV. Carla‘s point was that even though The Bachelor isn‘t "real," it‘s entertaining and compelling because the people on it experience real emotions, and it seems like Ben isn‘t letting himself do that. Read more »

Brace yourselves, Bachelor fans. It seems there may have been ulterior motives at play during last night‘s batsh*t Bachelor episode. As you‘ll recall, Shawntel Newton, the mortician from Brad Womack‘s season, showed up out of the blue and declared her vague and undying love for Ben Flajnik. I guess they talked once or twice, and that meant they were destined for each other. Not important. What‘s important is that she was bold/courageous/desperate enough to waltz in and beg for a spot at the rose ceremony with Ben‘s 15 other bride-candidates. And Ben was like, "Well, OK," but then all the other women threatened to kill Shawntel or themselves if he gave her a rose, so he didn‘t. (It‘s called following your heart/your pants/the path of least resistance.) So Shawntel went home to her lonely mortician‘s table, drowning in sadness and shame. And then the girl with the lip tattoo fainted. Twice. NOT IMPORTANT. Read more »

Like so many tear-soaked, too-small cocktail dresses, this week‘s Bachelor episode was busting at the seams ... with emotions. And, like the face of poor Jaclyn here, it simply cannot not be contained. (Ben, how could you send this face home, roseless and husband-less? How could you not love this face?) So check out a couple deleted scenes from the episode, as well as the always pathetic "Diaries of the Departed," plus a preview for next week‘s episode, when Courtney the model will open up her tiny ribcage and eat Emily the epidemiologist WHOLE!  Read more »

This week‘s episode of The Bachelor was, by Ben Flajnik‘s own estimation, a "sh*tstorm." Crying, yelling, name-calling, threat-making ... this week‘s cocktail party had them all!But before all that happened, contestant Brittney Schreiner kicked off the night‘s shocking moments by quitting the race for Ben before she‘d even really started. When her first one-on-one date card arrived, Brittney said she felt more "torn and confused" than excited, so she packed her bags and left without even giving the date, or Ben, a shot. And Brittney‘s reasons for quitting didn‘t quite add up. First she said the connection with Ben wasn‘t there. Then she said it was hard "not knowing" what connection there could have been. Then she said she didn‘t "deserve" Ben. Then she said the Bachelor process "wasn‘t for her." Whatever the reason, Brittney up and left so suddenly that she certainly didn‘t seem torn. But confused? Yes, indeed.In a conference call with the media yesterday, Brittney elaborated on her decision to leave the show. She also talked about whether it was her idea or her grandmother‘s (whom she brought to the first cocktail party) to audition, which Bachelor she‘d rather date than Ben, what she thinks of Ben‘s hair and more: Read more »

Chris Harrison has been hosting The Bachelor and its various subsidiaries for ten years now. In that decade, the show has had 25 seasons (including Bachelor Pad, shudder). So, if the average Bachelor season has, say, 10 episodes in it, and the average episode has, say, three dates on it, then by my calculations, Chris Harrison has played host to about 7 million Bachelor dates. Just kidding, that‘s only how many it feels like. It‘s more like 750 Bachelor dates. Still, that is SO many dates to have only led to one real marriage (Trista) and one takesies-backsies marriage (Jason) and one current engagement (Ashley)!It‘s so many dates that I can almost forgive Chris for what he told TV Guide this week, when they asked about Ben Flajnik‘s latest group date, in which a small army of elves shut down an entire San Francisco block and built a ski hill on it so that Ben and his babes could race down it in bikinis. (Oh, and the whole date was sponsored by the Honda "leap list" campaign, because nothing says "achieve your dreams" and "buy a CRV" like "boobs boobs boobs butts boobs butts boobs.") Maybe Chris has been doing this for so long that he‘s forgotten what a real date is like. Maybe he‘s been living inside the unreality of reality TV for so long that he actually doesn‘t know what the word "unrealistic" means anymore.Yet. But. Still. Chris. This quote? You should know better: Read more »

Many Canadians have tried -- and failed -- to make a match on The Bachelor. Now our neighbors to the north won‘t have to cross the border in order to embarrass themselves seek out true love on television, thanks to The Bachelor Canada, which will premiere this fall on Citytv.Hopelessly devoted Bachelor host Chris Harrison was on hand to make the big announcement on Breakfast Television (whatever that is, it sounds delicious) this morning. "The Bachelor has long been a fan favourite on Citytv, and we look forward to putting a Canadian spin on this thriving franchise," Claire Freeland, director of original programming for Rogers Media, and executive producer of The Bachelor Canada, said in a media release. "Canada is brimming with eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, and we‘re excited to offer them the opportunity to embark on their own quest for love through this entertaining series." Read more »

It has been a tumultuous season so far on The Bachelor. Through the first four episodes, 14 women have either quit or been denied a rose. At this rate, there may not be anyone left for Ben before the finale! With the departing mess that is Samantha, it seems as if Courtney is the sole target for everyone‘s jabs and insults. Here are some of the best tweets about Courtney and everything else that went on during the fourth episode of The Bachelor.   Read more »

Tonight, Ben and the women who are still successfully hiding their dealbreakers from him traveled to exciting, exotic, alluring ... Park City, Utah, where they will break hearts and liquor laws with equal abandon! This week‘s dates are clearly about experiencing nature. In the most unnatural way possible, as we‘ve established. As Ben flies in on his personal helicopter, he‘s giddy to see Utah‘s landscape has "every color of the rainbow"! Like a real, rugged outdoorsman. Kacie says that Utah is "the perfect place to fall in love." (Everywhere on The Bachelor is the perfect place to fall in love.) But still. Helloooo, new "I‘m a Mormon" campaign! Read more »

After widespread rumors and reports all but made it official without ABC‘s say-so, the network came out with a press release today revealing that Emily Maynard, the 25-year-old single mother who broke off her engagement to Brad Womack after The Bachelor season 15, will take up the Bachelorette torch this summer.The timing of the announcement is interesting, given that Ben Flajnik‘s Bachelor season hasn‘t even reached its half-way point on air. In recent years, the network has held off until after the previous season to announce the star of the next -- probably because it‘s typically one of the previous season‘s final rejects who gets the gig.  Read more »

Last night on The Bachelor, one woman got dumped in the middle of the group date for "not taking it seriously" (Samantha, at right, in all her poise and strength), and two of the women -- Emily and Courtney -- caused trouble of their own by taking this thing a little TOO seriously. Emily tried and failed to warn Ben about Courtney‘s two-faced ways, and all she got in return was a disappointed lecture from the Bachelor and a new laser-eyed, forked-tongued enemy in Courtney. And while Courtney doesn‘t seem to mind all the hate coming her way and can still do no wrong in Ben‘s eyes, even if she gets the guy, she‘s definitely losing in the court of public opinion right now. But that‘s the price of trying to find love on television. Even when you‘re "winning," you‘re losing. Below, check out deleted scenes from last night‘s episode and a sneak peek at next week‘s, when the competition will get even tougher, thanks to Courtney, who‘s once again reveling in being so reviled: Read more »

As we saw in last week‘s Puerto Rican preview, and as some ABC copywriter had a field day describing in their weekly press release, the climax of Monday‘s Bachelor episode will be the "sizzling tryst" between Courtney Robertson and Ben Flajnik. The model will offer the Bachelor her own special sort of "nightcap": A midnight skinny dipping stint, made all the more romantic by the presence of a camera and light crew to capture it all.In the sneak peek below, we see how it all goes down. In just her underwear and a robe, Courtney goes to Ben‘s room with a wine bottle and glasses in hand, saying that she‘s "making good on her promise" with "something that might refresh him, rejuvenate him." So they talked about this before -- and though he seems surprised, Ben doesn‘t hesitate to strip down and cozy up to Courtney out in the ocean."I don‘t know if he‘s ever skinny dipped with a model before. It could be fun," she says. Any excuse to remind us that you‘re a model and that you‘re insufferably cocky, right Courtney?Watch Ben and Courtney go on their nude dip -- and don‘t worry, the naughty bits have been blacked out:  Read more »

Bachelor contestant Monica Spannbauer caused quite a stir with viewers when she appeared to come on to fellow contestant Blakeley the first night -- though, Monica explained in her conference call with the media yesterday, those were strictly "friendship" (and alcohol induced?) feelings and nothing more. Whether you believe that explanation is up to you. Personally, I‘m buying it, if only because Monica went on to be delightfully, hilariously candid in the rest of her answers. The 33-year-old dental consultant sort of faded into the background after her "bisexual" controversy that first week, so we didn‘t get the greatest sense of her personality. But she clearly got a sense of what the other contestants, and Ben, were like -- and she wasn‘t shy about spilling what she knew. Call me crazy, but if Monica felt comfortable calling this season‘s villain Courtney a "manipulative [...] weird duck" who‘s "absolutely wrong" for Ben and had to take four hour naps before every activity, I feel like she‘d probably admit if she had a little one-night crush on a VIP cocktail waitress. Check out what Monica had to say about Ben, Courtney, Kacie B. and the rest of the women on The Bachelor this season. She didn‘t hold back. And for that, I wish I could give her a rose. Read more »

Tonight, Ben takes his 11 remaining pawns hostages victims sacrificial lambs ladies to Puerto Rico, in their first international outing of the season! So, of course, what better place and time to enjoy America‘s #1 pastime? And by "enjoy," I mean "suffer through as a pointless means to three inevitable ends: tight shorts, screaming and crying."But baseball isn‘t the only game the girls will play tonight. As we see in this preview for tonight‘s Bachelor episode (8pm on ABC), and as we previously saw in this extended clip, Courtney is going to make waves (HAR, HAR!) with her sneaky, shady, slithering, shifty, surreptitious and slutty plan of going skinny dipping with Ben. Meanwhile, each of the other women will invest more deeply into the elaborate fiction she‘s created in her mind that Ben is her one, true, floppy-haired prince. Until they all find out about how Courtney bumped wet parts with him in the ocean. And then they‘re all going to LOSE THEIR PRETTY LIL MINDS. Roll tape:  Read more »

If you played The Bachelor drinking game last night, you‘re probably hung over. This show typified Season 16: Courtney‘s "winning", a David Gray song, skinny dipping, a cameo appearance from Ben‘s waxed chest, an Emily and Courtney evil stare contest, and numerous crying confessionals. Was anyone else conflicted wondering if that was the best or worst softball game of all time? Enjoy the top 10 tweets about this week‘s episode of The Bachelor, and while you‘re at it, why don‘t you cue up "This Year‘s Love" from David Gray.  Read more »

Tonight, Ben and his harem go to beautiful Vieques, Puerto Rico. Everyone‘s excited, except Courtney, who was here two months ago and also doesn‘t have the part of her brain that would enable emotions like "excitement" or "remorse." Puerto Rico is an island of rich culture, beautiful scenery and contentious political status -- aspects that The Bachelor will glaze over, exploit and ignore, respectively, so the women can play baseball in short-shorts and a model can get naked on the beach so a guy will like her the most. Sorry, Puerto Rico. (Hey, remember this fall when The Bachelor showed up and Puerto Ricans thought they were filming a porn? Now we know why.) Read more »

I‘m not one to just come out and declare an opinion (HA, yes I am), but after five weeks, I feel as comfortable and confident saying this as Courtney the Model feels saying anything: I‘ve seen a whole lotta Bachelors in my day. And Ben is the worst Bachelor. Definitively, the WORST. All the fancy dates and exotic locations in the world can‘t hide how detached and disinterested he is in everything and everyone (besides Courtney). He says the right things sometimes, but with zero passion, creativity or conviction. He‘s a man on autopilot, and the only reason these women (besides Courtney) are interested in him is because they‘ve been conditioned to. It‘s extremely easy for them to project what they want to see onto Ben, because he‘s a mostly empty vessel. If ABC could make a robot Bachelor, he‘d be a lot like Ben. But with better hair.At first, Ben‘s blandness just pointed to what might be a very boring Bachelor season. He was just having fun, which was dull, but not destructive. But combined with Courtney‘s insidious competitiveness, and his own insipid "not my problem" attitude about everything, it‘s turned this season toxic. Sure, Courtney‘s a real piece of work. But it‘s Ben‘s combination apathy/immaturity that have made it so easy for her to do anything she wants. Like make Ben give her a rose. Or make Ben go skinny dipping with her. And, eventually, make Ben propose to her. Probably. Hopefully. Because that‘s really the only fitting ending, the way I see it. A not-happy ending.  Read more »

Just because Ben and I are on a break right now doesn‘t mean that I‘m on a break from keeping up with his increasingly messy and damp journey toward "love." So let‘s see what‘s new:Why is Casey S. Crying in Next Week‘s Promo? Let‘s put together the clues: Clue #1: Chris Harrison says it‘s something about her "personal life" and that he was "concerned enough" to step in, especially in light of how he handled "the Bentley situation" last season. Clue #2: ABC teased in a tweet last week: "Soon it will be revealed that one bachelorette still has a boyfriend... Who do you think it is?" Clue #3: Reality Steve says that Casey S. has a boyfriend at home and the show/Chris Harrison finds out and kicks her out and that‘s why she‘s crying, because she didn‘t want the show to fiiiiind oooout! Ohhhhh noooooo!Aww, poooor Casey. And yay us! We are great detectives, you guys.  Read more »

When ABC announced that Emily Maynard would be their next Bachelorette, it came as no surprise that the network has wanted the beautiful single mother for the job since she broke off her engagement to twice-Bachelor Brad Womack last year. But it was quite a surprise, at least to some, that Maynard accepted the offer.After all, just last June, after Womack, 38, and Maynard, 25, ended their engagement, she swore that she "had no intentions of ever being the next Bachelorette." At the time, Maynard cited protecting her young daughter and their privacy as her concerns about jumping back into the reality dating game."I genuinely meant that," Maynard tells People now. "I feel like the biggest hypocrite because I said that and now I‘m doing it." So why the change of heart?  Read more »

After last week‘s skinny dipping scandal, I hope you‘re not tired of watching The Bachelor‘s Courtney Robertson bare it all in the name of snaring her man (who would be?!) because she‘s about to do it again in Monday‘s episode. It‘s almost like she‘s only on this show for the attention.When the group travels to Panama, the opportunity to wear traditional tribal garb turns into another opportunity for Courtney to release the Kraken her rack -- this time in the name of being "one with nature." I‘m sure it has nothing to do with wanting Ben to see her nipples. Check out these three sneak peeks from Monday‘s episode -- one of Courtney‘s next topless tactic, and two more clips of poor bachelorette Jamie ("Who?" the world/Ben asked) attempting and failing -- twice -- to get a decent kiss out of the Bachelor. And you‘ll never guess who sabotages the first attempt. Read more »

For all we know, he may be happily engaged right now (and for his sake, I hope he does have a sympathetic shoulder to lean on), but Bachelor Ben Flajnik is suffering from a major PR problem at the moment. You wouldn‘t know it from their on-screen proclamations of Ben‘s absolute perfection, and their endless tears when he sends them out the door, but the overwhelming message from Ben‘s exiting bachelorettes seems to be that he‘s a fool, and that they‘re better off. Yes, these are women who‘ve been publicly spurned, so we should probably take what they say about Ben with a hefty grain of salt. Still, the impression I get is that, just a few months out of the Bachelor pressure cooker, Ben has left the same diluted, detached impression on the women he was dating as he leaves on me when I watch him on TV. And as for Ben‘s current favorite, Courtney? According to these women, what you see on TV is what you get -- but only Ben likes what he gets with that one.Which brings us to this week‘s lovely Bachelor reject and her media conference call. If anyone has reason to badmouth Ben, it‘s Jennifer Fritsch, the adorable 28-year-old accountant. Last week, she shared a "perfect" one-on-one date with Ben, which closed with them dancing and kissing to a song called, ironically, "Like We Never Said Goodbye." Then, just a week later, Jennifer struck out twice -- once during a heated baseball game competing for alone time with Ben, and then again at the rose ceremony, when he dismissed her with no rose and no explanation. Maybe he was too busy reminiscing about skinny dipping with Courtney to bother?Read on for highlights from Jennifer‘s exit interview. She didn‘t hold back giving both Ben and Courtney the business:  Read more »

Don‘t forget, The Bachelor is on tonight. Approximately a zillion other new episodes of TV shows will attempt to lure your attention away from 8 to 10pm this evening, but The Bachelor has one thing those shows haven‘t got: A model who‘s willing to take her top off for attention!Oh, and a real man‘s journey toward true love through exotic locations and emotional turmoil, blah blah blah we all know why we‘re really here.And speaking of Courtney the Model, star of The Bachelor 16: The Courtney the Model Show, what do her mom and her t-shirt and Ben‘s best friend and Tom Brady have to say about her bra-less, shameless antics today?Tom Brady was too busy eating all the ice cream to comment, but you can bet he‘ll be watching The Bachelor with Gisele and a box of wine tonight. Here‘s what the rest of those people/things had to say, in today‘s Bachelor roundup: Read more »

With new competition from The Voice, The Bachelor needed to come out with an explosive episode. Three people were eliminated. One of them, Jamie, unfortunately was my early season pick to win. Jamie‘s departure was one amongst several cringe-worthy scenes. Some of these scenes included Blakely sharing her scrapbook, Jamie‘s kiss with Ben, and Casey‘s breakdown about her quasi ex-boyfriend. Here are the top 10 Tweets about episode 6: Read more »

Tonight, winemaker Ben continues to ferment his relationships with nine women. This week, they‘re in Panama City, Panama -- the group‘s sixth stop on this journey, because it‘s impossible to fall in love if you‘re not constantly traveling. That‘s why carnies and spies have the most stable relationships. Read more »

So, how are we all feeling about Ben after last night‘s episode? Titillated? Twitterpated? Frustrated? Nauseated?Only the latter two, right? Yeah, me too.I gotta tell ya, ladies and lady-lovers, I‘m finding it increasingly hard to believe that the Bachelor producers even want Ben to look good. I can‘t believe that they watched Ben go through this whole "journey," and then chopped up that journey into the little bits and pieces that we see, and thought, "YEP! This guy‘s gonna look GREAT this season! A solid, sympathetic, sensitive man whom any woman would be lucky to marry." I don‘t buy it. Because last night there wasn‘t a single moment we saw when he wasn‘t being a TOTAL GOON. (You want examples? Here they are!) I mean, that‘s what he is. No amount of editing can hide it. But I‘d like to give Ben (or anyone) the benefit of the doubt that, in an entire week in Panama, he must have had at least a couple good moments, but they just weren‘t shown on TV. Does that mean that ABC has known this whole time that they wanted Ben to come across not as Courtney‘s victim, but as her co-villain? Is THAT why they‘ve done nothing to fix his hair? It all adds up!Yes, week 6 is typically when my mind starts unraveling into elaborate Bachelor conspiracy theories. But it‘s also when the Diaries of the Departed start getting REAL JUICY! So while you mull over whether Ben is really as bad as he seems, and whether ABC actually likes it that way, let‘s take a look at this week‘s bonus videos:  Read more »

While we wait with bated breath to see whether Ben and his ladies will survive swimming with sharks in Belize, the tabloid sharks continue to circle around the Bachelor and his current frontrunner, Courtney the Ever-Topless Model. And I continue to relish any opportunities to mock them. Like these: Read more »

This video deserves to stand on its own.  Read more »

Bachelor host Chris Harrison played a larger role than usual (larger than saying "This is the final rose tonight") in this week‘s episode, as he stepped in to confront contestant Casey S. about her feelings toward her maybe-not-really-an-ex ex-boyfriend.In a conference call with the media Thursday, Chris explained why he confronted Casey and why her departure from the show was ultimately her decision. But it wasn‘t long before the conversation turned to this season‘s most controversial bachelorette, Courtney Robertson, who is still going strong in Bachelor Ben‘s good graces, despite viewers‘ and her fellow contestants‘ potent dislike for the aggressive model. (Even though she did inspire a great autotune.)Why is Ben so smitten while everyone else is so sickened by Courtney‘s behavior? And what does Chris think of the way she‘s playing the game to win Ben‘s heart? Read on for highlights from the interview with Harrison: Read more »

What better way to prime for Valentine‘s Day tomorrow than two hours of Bachelor romance, roses and rejection tonight?How about a collection of all the latest Bachelor ridiculousness while you wait? Starting with the headline of the day...  Read more »

With only three episodes left in this season, I am sitting here and wondering if anyone really wants to woman up and try to beat Courtney for Ben‘s affection. With Emily going home this week, it looks like everyone‘s hopes will have to lie with Kacie and Lindzi. Since Courtney and boring Ben have hogged most of the air time so far, let‘s hope for a strong finish to the season. Here are the top 10 Tweets from Episode 7: Read more »

Tonight on The Bachelor, Ben and his final six travel to Belize -- the most beautiful place to fall in love. Or, in the case of Courtney, the most beautiful place for Ben to finally get a glimpse of her profound inner ugliness. WE HOPE!But seeing that Ben is wearing this tank top to start off the week, I‘d say don‘t hold your breath that his decisions are going to improve:  Read more »

Today‘s batch of Bachelor bonus videos, coming to us after last night‘s infuriating episode in Belize, has a special Valentine‘s Day lesson for everyone. For the single ladies, take comfort that at least you‘re not dating Ben. For the single fellas, same thing -- but with Courtney. For those of you in relationships, if you‘re with a very special non-Ben or non-Courtney, make sure to express your love and cherish them today. And if your special someone reminds you a little too much of the blind Bachelor or his manipulative model, well ... I hope you‘re single soon. Happy Valentine‘s Day! Read more »

On next week‘s episode of The Bachelor, Ben will visit the hometowns of his final four, and Courtney the model, who‘s got his man-parts firmly in her vice-grip, has a big surprise waiting for him. She‘s already let him see her naked, so there‘s only one thing left to do:SURPRISE HIM WITH A WEDDING!!!!!!!!!!Are you taking notes, ladies? On how to be completely unnatural, presumptuous and terrifying? Watch and learn (and then read more Bachelor bits that‘ll make you say "WHOA."): Read more »

Those fickle editors have been ignoring her storyline all season long (surely to make way for Courtney‘s indispensable comments like "winning!" and "see ya, wouldn‘t wanna be ya!"), so yesterday, Ellen decided to show us what she‘s been doing this season on The Bachelor. While the other girls wasted their time fighting over Ben, Ellen spent her days drinking, wearing beautiful bedazzled caftans, drinking, sharing her good ideas, drinking, staring down other contestants and draaanking. If only the other Bachelor ladies would live up to her example: Read more »

Emily O‘Brien made quite an impression on Bachelor Ben from the start -- on the first night, she got his first kiss and performed a silly rap about her unique profession, epidemiology.But over time, O‘Brien‘s impressions on Ben only worsened, and her fun side got overshadowed by her rivalry with this season‘s villain (and Ben‘s current favorite), Courtney Robertson. Her warnings to Ben about Courtney fell on deaf ears, and he chose to meet the model‘s family rather than Emily‘s at last week‘s rose ceremony.Like so many of Ben‘s former bachelorettes this season, she fought hard for him, but now Emily counts herself as lucky that she went home without a rose or a ring from Ben, and won‘t be happy if any of her friends in the cast end up with The Bachelor either. Ouch! Read on for highlights from Emily‘s post-elimination conference call: Read more »

Ben‘s been going through the motions all season, and this week, someone finally calls him on it, kinda. Thank goodness for protective parents. Too bad Kacie‘s dad couldn‘t convince his daughter not to participate in this lady-auction in the first place. Of course, the ultimate irony (wait, is that the right word? or is the right word "stupidity"?) of this week is that this is when things are supposed to get SERIOUS and every single conversation turns to MARRIAGE, and yet Ben has clearly never been seriously interested in marrying anyone here, except maybe for Courtney -- the only contestant deluded or insane or manipulative enough to stage a fake wedding as part of her hometown date, thereby further bastardizing, mocking and diluting the already bastardized, diluted mockery of marriage that IS The Bachelor. And, in a weird twist, she comes off as more likable for it? But I‘m getting ahead of myself. Let‘s make like Ben and breeze through these dates, using our hair curtains and cynicism as shields against the elements: Read more »

With only two episodes left, I am still wondering if any of these girls are really into Ben and vice versa. Sure, Courtney had that ridiculous, contrived "love ceremony" this episode, but we all know that she is probably in this to get more publicity as a model. Looking back on this episode, I debated between the two most awkward scenes: Kacie‘s marching band entrance, or Courtney‘s fake wedding. Regardless of what I thought, there were plenty of people willing to share their opinions on Twitter. Here are the top 10 Tweets about episode 8: Read more »

Last night, Ben got a glimpse of his final four girls‘ home lives, and we got a glimpse of how little effort he puts in, even when he‘s meeting a girl‘s parents. In the end, Kacie‘s protective father successfully convinced Ben to dump his daughter before she‘d get hurt even more -- and Ben sunk even deeper into the clutches of Courtney, who made the unquestionably BRILLIANT, albeit risky, move of staging a fake wedding so that she could force Ben to sit down and write out his feelings toward her, and then recite them in vow-form. When it comes to the art of gettin‘ that man-love, she‘s a mastermind.Courtney‘s vows certainly sounded heartfelt, but the words weren‘t all her own. Where‘d she get those lines? Plus, what else did Kacie say in the rejection limo? Watch this week‘s Bachelor bonus videos to find out: Read more »

With only three women remaining -- and with Courtney, this season‘s villain and frontrunner still in it -- the Bachelor love race is entering its final stages, which of course means the gossip rag rumor race is in overdrive. And with Courtney doing most of the work to sully her own name directly on the show, the tabloids are having to dig pretty deep -- and dirty -- to make a decent story.Let‘s check out what the mags, Chris Harrison and even Ben himself are saying about Courtney this week:  Read more »

ABC has released the details about next week‘s episode of The Bachelor, which takes Ben and his final three to Switzerland. The Alps may be a colder climate than they‘ve enjoyed for the past several weeks, but that won‘t keep things from heating up physically and emotionally between Ben and the women (it‘s getting pretty heated off-screen, too), as it‘s now time for the much-anticipated "fantasy suites," and Courtney‘s antagonism among the group will once again take center stage.Here‘s ABC‘s press release about Monday‘s episode (watch the episode preview here!) -- with the juiciest bits in bold, of course:  Read more »

Hey Bachelor fans! Fans? Can we call ourselves that anymore? I‘ll be honest: I‘ve been watching this season of The Bachelor with about as much investment as Ben--little to none! While Meghan is in Belize this week, cleaning all the roses out of the ocean, I‘ll be recapping tonight‘s Fantasy Suite episode. I thought for sure it would be Courtney and Kacie B in the final two, but last week Ben sent Kacie B back into the Disney Vault. I have an obvious theory about why: Ben wants to get laid as much as possible. He knew that Fantasy Suite dates were coming up, and Kacie B‘s father (Mr. B) ruined everything with his strict morals and prohibition-era take on sins of the flesh. It‘s a shame, too, because I think he really liked that giggly little girl. But tonight is the night when two become one, and one, and one; and Ben wants a WOMAN.  Read more »

We are down to the final three contestants. Did anyone expect Ben or Nicki to yell Ricola at the beginning of the episode? I for one was not surprised to see the producers trot out one of the former contestants this episode. Thankfully, Kacie used this as an excuse to warn Ben about Courtney. Well, it seems like that will not prevent him from making a huge mistake. Here are the top 10 Tweets from episode 9: Read more »

I left for one week, you guys. One week. And in that week, Ben had multiple cheating rumors, Courtney tried on wedding dresses, Lindsay Lohan attempted a career revival and Snooki‘s engaged and pregnant. Oh, and Charlie‘s Bachelorettes got their makeup done and went to see Titanic 3D dressed as high-end escorts. What the Flajnik is going on around here?! Thank goodness for Carla, who did such a great job recapping The Bachelor in my absence that I was able to truly enjoy my vacation, knowing she wouldn‘t let Courtney get away with her fake apology or Kacie get away with her crazy stalker vibes or Ben get away with his dumb face.Still, so much has happened since Ben dumped Nicki in Switzerland and narrowed down his pool of potential wives to the one who‘s obsessed with horses and the one who probably laughs when a horse dies in a movie because she‘s dead inside. Let‘s take a pre-Women Tell All dip into the vicious rumor pool, and let our bodies get used to the frigid temperatures now:  Read more »

Ah, the Women Tell All. When the girls Ben didn‘t want to marry, return to answer the questions nobody asked, rehash the drama nobody cares about, and get the closure that, given how long it‘s been since they dated him and how superficial those relationships were in the first place, nobody needs.It‘s also a chance for the women we forgot about to showcase their newest hair colors and tightest dresses, and do their darndest to dredge up some semblance of a fan reaction that they can hopefully carry over into an appearance on Bachelor Pad 3: Venereal Island.  Read more »

Tonight was a special episode of The Bachelor. It was the reunion show where all the memorable contestants from the season came back. A lot of the girls revealed their true colors. Some showed that they were real people who went through real emotions like Jennifer and Courtney, while others, like Jaclyn and Samantha made complete fools of themselves. Tonight‘s episode was no exception for some excellent tweets from fans. Here are the top 10 Tweets from episode 10: Read more »

Wow, what an episode of The Courtney Show that was last night, right? It turns out there was so much riveting footage of the women discussing Courtney until their cosmetically plumped lips almost fell off that ABC had to cut other, slightly-less riveting but still sort of interesting footage from the episode. But now they‘ve posted a bunch of that footage on the internet, so we can almost achieve our collective dream: A Women Tell All special that lasts FOREVER! Check out these deleted scenes from last night: Read more »

It‘s the final countdown ... until Ben asks Courtney to be his bride (you know, allegedly) and slides that ring onto her thin, cold, long-black-glove-sheathed finger in the Bachelor finale. And then we‘ll immediately be whisked from that Swiss mountaintop straight into the present, on an L.A. soundstage turned tealight museum, to find out where their relationship stands now, on the After the Final Rose special. I SERIOUSLY CANNOT WAIT ... for this to be over. (But you know who‘s probably even more anxious for it to be over? Lyndzi.) While it‘s seemed inevitable for weeks now that Ben and Courtney would wind up engaged, last night‘s Women Tell All still stirred the pot before Monday‘s big finish, and plenty of members in Bachelor Nation were more than willing to weigh in on the night‘s biggest question: Was Courtney sincere in her apology to the other women?The episode also planted plenty of other questions in our brains, like: Is ex-Bachelorette Ali really going to be on Bachelor Pad 3: Escape to Bitch Mountain? And now that the sun is setting on Ben‘s season, how long will we have to wait for Emily Maynard‘s Bachelorette season start?Here‘s what we know: Read more »

They cut her out completely, AGAIN!Yes, if you didn‘t know, Ellen Degeneres has been on The Bachelor this whole season, but those darn editors keep cutting her scenes to make room for all the Courtney drama. So yesterday, Ellen shared her version of what happened at Monday night‘s Women Tell All. Unlike the other women, Ellen was there to make friends -- though, according to her wife Portia de Rossi, she wasn‘t supposed to be there at all. "Portia‘s a little upset because she thought I was going to be on the Amazing Race," she says. (Sidenote: Oh, how we wish those two would actually apply as a team for that show.)And she also learned important lessons, like "don‘t mix wine and tequila." Watch the video and check out Ellen‘s hilarious (yes, digitally altered -- but still glorious!) scene from the Women Tell All. Courtney should be taking notes on Ellen‘s ability to question-dodge:  Read more »

In his weekly interview with TV Guide, Bachelor host Chris Harrison warns that Monday‘s finale and After the Final Rose might not play out the way the fans and tabloids expect. And we might be so blindsided that we‘ll need a night to let the season‘s conclusion really sink in:"Between the finale and After the Final, it‘s going to be very different than any of the tabloids and fans think," says Harrison. "All I will say is, let‘s sit back, take it all in, maybe take a night to sleep on it and then let‘s go to Twitter and go to town."As host and bit player to all the drama, Chris gets his share of backlash when fans aren‘t pleased with the show‘s outcome. So with rumors all but officially confirmed that Ben and Courtney will end the season engaged, it‘s probably in Harrison‘s best personal interests to advise Bachelor fans to take a breath and step back before they condemn Ben and his vindictive (but recently apologetic) would-be bride. Or to plant a red herring to get us all pumped up and tuning in for the episode. Still, his quote makes us wonder: What could Monday‘s finale have in store, besides a face-palm-inducing proposal atop the Matterhorn?  Read more »

At this point, we all pretty much know how it‘s going to go down on Monday night‘s Bachelor finale. For two hours Ben will pretend to us, himself and his family that Lyndzi‘s a serious contender for his marriage proposal, but at the end, he‘ll confirm what we‘ve known since they got naked together in the Puerto Rican ocean: It‘s always been Courtney. "Winning"? More like "won."But just because we know (or think we know) the ending doesn‘t mean that we can‘t have fun watching Ben complete his Bachelor journey. Quite the opposite, in fact. Without the burden of suspense, and safe in the knowledge that not even the detached winemaker or his manipulative model bride-to-be are taking this seriously, we‘re free to enjoy Monday‘s episode for the spectacular, superficial, disturbing spectacle that it‘s sure to be.Let go of your worries that Ben‘s making a fatal mistake, or that Courtney‘s pure evil in an evening gown -- he‘s been warned, deep down he knows, and he‘s gonna be just fine -- and instead relish in the perfect conclusion to the beautiful disaster that has been Ben‘s season. Because really, there‘s no more fitting ending to this Bachelor season than the two people most determined not to take this process seriously, making THE most serious commitment imaginable to each other. So let‘s celebrate that! By drinking! Maybe a lot!And so, fellow Bachelor fans, will you accept this ... collection of Bachelor-inspired cocktail recipes and drinking game? Read more »

Evil has a new name. And that name is, simply, "Courtney."At least, that‘s what this Bachelor promo for tonight‘s "most controversial season finale you‘ll have to see to believe!" tells us, in a series of seizure-inducing cuts and intense death-drum-accompanied block letters. GOOD VS. COURTNEY! The final showdown! Who will control THE (engagement) RING?Watching this, you‘d think it‘s not just Ben‘s heart that‘s at sake. The fate of the entire world must be on the line.  Read more »

Like sands through the hourglass, another manufactured Bachelor soap opera comes to an end tonight, and right on time, that old familiar question popped into all of our heads at once: "Why do we care, again?" Well, first of all -- because it‘s shallow and outrageous and fun. And also because this season introduced us to the best reality TV villain who thinks she can model and says insane things on the regular since Jade of America‘s Next Top Model: Courtney! And she‘s taking no prisoners tonight, unless you count Ben‘s Neil Lane engagement ring.As you ready your drinks, loins and remaining brain cells for tonight‘s massacre, take a gander at these interesting pre-finale bits:  Read more »

It‘s here. It‘s finally here! The Bachelor finale, when we get to watch Ben Flajnik fly in the face of, well, everything and everyone -- especially logic -- and propose to the woman we all knew he‘d propose to all along: Courtney Robertson, the breakout star of this season, for better or for worse. (For richer or for poorer...)It‘s been a few years since I was a casual Bachelor fan. As a recapper, I tend to enjoy the controversial seasons, because they give me more -- and new -- things to write about. But as a fan, it‘s been increasingly hard to keep the enthusiasm alive this season. I honestly can‘t remember a Bachelor season that inspired as much disdain, frustration and disgust as this one has.  Read more »

I‘m exhausted, aren‘t you? After two hours of watching Ben and Courtney and ABC try so hard to convince us that they‘re a picture-perfect fairytale couple who defied the odds to find perfect, ultimate, forever-happiness, now we have to/get to spend an hour watching them all UNDO that with a little somethin‘ called REALITY? Reality TV is exhausting enough. Reality-reality is a stonecold bummer. The episode starts out strangely. Given the "sensitive nature" of these conversations, Chris Harrison literally asks us to "withhold judgment about this relationship." Are you serious? I know you‘re the host, Chris, but you do ... know ... what kind of show this is, right? And what kind of "fans" you have for your wicked bethemoth of a show? If we can‘t judge, we may literally suffocate and die. And does that mean I‘m not allowed to give my opinions about this episode in this article? Am I breaking any rules here? But I HAVE TO JUDGE! THIS IS MY JOB, TOO, HARRISON!  Read more »

The Bachelor season 16 just wrapped up and, with all the controversy surrounding Ben and Courtney, it does look like they are ending up together. Say what you want, but I hope the best for them. Though, we all know this engagement will probably only last another two weeks. From the beginning it was obvious that Courtney was going to win. For the last time this season, here are the top 10 tweets about the finale:  Read more »

It appears that Ben and Courtney won‘t be going on the massive media tour that typically accompanies becoming the final Bachelor couple -- instead choosing to put their energies toward actually becoming a couple again. And I say, good for them! They‘ve given us enough great material to last ... well, not a lifetime, but at least a week or two. And there‘s plenty of other delightful and disturbing Bachelor tidbits to keep us entertained after last night‘s finale. Take a look:  Read more »

Since the final leg of his Bachelor journey ended in tears and a tense reconciliation between the Bachelor and his bride-to-be Courtney on Monday, Ben Flajnik has stayed relatively quiet -- except to share thoughts like "no more reality TV for me" on Twitter. But Ben did turn in one last blog post to People.com in which he once again defends his engagement amongst "all the speculation and hate." Not your typical post-finale, post-engagement, "I found the love of my life!" blog we‘ve come to expect at the end of the season. But it‘s hard to blame Ben for feeling down at the time when most Bachelor stars are smiling and shouting about their love from the rooftops. The overwhelming public negativity about Ben, his season, his choice and his fiancee have clearly gotten to him, and overshadowed the happiness he feels to finally have his engagement out in the open.  Read more »

Well, we thought that the Dancing with the Stars season 14 cast was set after the official announcement. But recent rumors indicate that that might not be so. Keep reading to learn the identity of a 13th celebrity -- with a recent claim to fame from The Bachelor -- who may be joining Dancing with the Stars this season. Read more »

Just so we‘re clear here, was Jesus in the phone or in the TV? I mean, was he in the TV and the phone caught it, or was he in the phone and the camera caught it? Was he in the TV because that‘s where he goes when he wants to watch TV? DOES JESUS LIKE THE BACHELOR TOO?What were you trying to take a picture of? Is that Lindzi or Courtney? What do you think of Courtney? Do you think she‘s being sincere in her love for Ben? What do you think Jesus would think of Courtney, given his views on marriage and love and honesty but also on forgiveness?Do you think the sight of Jesus made your phone break? Or did Jesus break your phone intentionally? Did He break it to send you a message? Could that message possibly be "stop watching this crap"? Or could it also be "get a better phone"?...How exactly is this an image of Jesus, again?  Read more »

Are you the type of Bachelorette fan who likes to watch the romantic magic and muscled male specimens revealed before your very eyes? Well then you best stop reading now, because this article contains three weeks worth of spoilers on Emily Maynard‘s journey from lonely single mom to nationally adored MILF and (maybe?) happy bride-to-be. You‘ve been alerted.You ravenous spoiler hounds have probably already read some of these details -- but not all in one place, and not with my commentary. For the rest of us, let‘s see what we can see about Emily Maynard‘s stint as the newest Bachelorette, starting with the guys who aspire to be the Ken to her Barbie...  Read more »

It‘s right there in the headline, so I shouldn‘t have to say this, but I will anyway, because, if nothing else, it‘s fun to type in all-caps: SPOILER ALERT.Look at this official ABC photo of Emily Maynard as the Bachelorette. Look how easy, breezy, beautiful (TM Covergirl) she is! That ring doesn‘t quite work with the pastel tie-dye top and black pants, but whatevs. Her hair is like pure, silken gold, and her face, well ... it‘s a good thing that the technology from the movie Face/Off doesn‘t actually exist, or else Emily might need to sleep with one eye open, lest one of the less facially fortunate of us try to break into her luxury hotel suite and force a face-trade. Not that I‘ve looked into it or anything. SHE‘S EXTREMELY PRETTY, IS WHAT I AM SAYING.Last we checked in with sweet Emily on our creepy quest to find out the secrets of her Bachelorette quest for love before they air, we learned that in her first two weeks in North Carolina with her 25 to 17 original suitors, she slow-danced twice, scaled a building and performed with the Muppets. You know, typical "first date stuff." Then Emily and her remaining man-brood jetted off to Bermuda, where spoilers have proven only slightly harder to come by. But they‘re still coming! So here‘s what‘s new: Read more »

Previously: Spoilers Part One, Spoilers Part Two.OK, you guys. I went to see Titanic 3D last night (WITHHOLD JUDGMENT PLEASE, my inner middle schooler can‘t take it) and in the midst of regretting my $15 rental of a pair of plastic transition lenses so that I could see Billy Zane‘s Flajnik-like center part in three dimensions, something occurred to me that probably already occurred to many of you as you watched Emily, Ali and Ashley go see Titanic 3D in the theater in that special Bachelorette teaser: Uhhhhhhh, didn‘t Emily already lose the love of her life in a tragic transportation accident? Isn‘t it a little (no, a lot) insensitive of ABC to send her to the theater to watch the tale of a woman who must go on after her prince has perished, and to say things like "I want a love like theirs" when she ALREADY HAD A LOVE LIKE THEIRS but then he died and that‘s how she ended up on The Bachelor? Anyway, I guess what I‘m saying (again) is that this show is shameless, and sometimes it‘s a fine line between loving that shamelessness and hating that shamelessness and wishing that shamelessness could at least refrain from slightly tarnishing your 15 year long love for a fictional character named Jack Dawson. (He really does shine up like a new penny, Kathy Bates. A NPILF.) But we can save those conflicting emotions for when The Bachelorette begins airing in May. Until then, here‘s what‘s new in our exciting game of Where in the World is Emily Maynard and Her Gaggle of Muscled Suitors?:  Read more »

Previously in Bachelorette season 8 spoilers: Part One, Part Two and Part Three.This week, ABC released 14 official photos of Bachelorette Emily Maynard looking lovely and love-hungry, ready and willing to hand out a bunch of roses to her handsome suitors. And this week, Reality Steve revealed who two more of those handsome suitors are! Plus, we also learned rumors of Emily‘s "diva" behavior and new filming locations.Here‘s what‘s new in the world of reality dating show sleuthing:  Read more »

Nashville football players Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson are leading a class-action lawsuit against ABC‘s The Bachelor franchise, claiming that the show‘s casting process, which has led to zero stars of color amongst its ten years and 23 seasons on the air, constitutes racial discrimination.A source tells TMZ that Claybrooks, a linebacker for the Nashville Storm, and Johnson, a former wide receiver at Tennessee State, attended a hotel casting meeting for the next season of The Bachelor. Johnson claims that when he arrived, a producer asked him what he was doing there, and both men say that they were taken to the side of the room and left out of the normal audition process -- treatment they believe was because of their race.Attorneys for Claybrooks and Johnson will file the complaint in federal court on Wednesday morning against ABC production companies Warner Horizon Television, Next Entertainment, NZK Productions and Bachelor executive producer Mike Fleiss.  Read more »

Previously in Bachelorette season 8 spoilers: Part One, Part Two, Part Three AND Part Four!Only a few weeks until Emily Maynard‘s Bachelorette season premieres, and Bachelor Nation is abuzz with news -- not all of it good, as I‘m sure you‘ve seen -- but most of the news has revolved around the central question, "OMG WHO‘S ON THE SHOW AND WHERE ARE THEY GOING AND WHAT‘S THE DRAMA, TELL ME WHAT‘S HAPPENING NOOOW!" And while I can understand that enthusiasm about all things Bachelor, it‘s like, whoa, slow down! The show hasn‘t even started yet. There‘s a lot of speculation masquerading as rumor, and rumor masquerading as fact, and fact masquerading as interesting fact going on around here, and I‘m sorting them out as I can! And whatever happened to embracing the mystery? Oh well, here‘s what we‘ve found out since we last checked in and met two more of Emily‘s contestants (both are white! whoda thunk it!) and heard from Mike Fleiss that she‘d just delivered "another Bachelorette first"! Do you think she engaged a guy in a political discussion? Or asked him what kind of books he likes to read? That‘d be a first! On to the spoilers: Read more »

If you‘ve missed our previous spoiler posts, please refresh yourself with this archive: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five.A week from today, America will finally, vicariously start upon the most magical journey of our collective lives: The Bachelorette season 8 starring Emily Maynard, the single mom with the true tragic backstory of a romance novel heroine, the beauty of Barbie, the heart of Mother Theresa and the patience of an angel. At least, we hope that she has the patience of an angel, given the shocking surprises and uncomfortable antics we‘re sure ABC has in store for her and her 25 suitors.It all begins Monday, May 14 (the day after Mother‘s Day, how appropriate!) at a special time, 9:30 to 11pm, on ABC. There will be plenty to see as Emily meets the guys for the very first time, and attempts to navigate a North Carolina mansion full of machismo, jealousy and desperate displays of affection. The cheesy limo entrances; the creepy gifts and love letters; the last-ditch attempts to make a lasting impression before the rose ceremony. Truly, the first night of any Bachelorette season is often the most entertaining of them all!But for those who simply cannot wait a week, here‘s a handy guide to the freshest batch of spoilers about Emily‘s premiere as The Bachelorette: Read more »

Read no further unless you‘re unfazed by a BIG OL‘ BACHELORETTE SPOILER ALERT!!! Bachelorette spoilers are flying fast and furiously ahead of Monday‘s big premiere. Which is why the sleuths over at the Bachelor and Bachelorette Fans Forum deserve extra credit for getting the biggest pre-season scoop of the week! (Even before a certain other big spoiler site has officially leaked the news...)A forum poster by the name of "Love_Me" (and we will, if she‘s right!) says she‘s been able to confirm, with absolutely "no doubt" in her mind, that these two men are Bachelorette Emily Maynard‘s final two: Read more »

The Bachelorette premieres Monday, May 14, and host Chris Harrison joined members of the media on a conference call yesterday to discuss how Emily Maynard‘s journey will be "drastically different" from past seasons.Before you lose it -- don‘t worry. There will be steamy hot tubs.Of course, anyone who followed Emily on The Bachelor two seasons ago, in which she got engaged to Brad Womack only to break things off months later, knows that hers is a backstory both tragic and inspiring. In 2004, her fiance Ricky Hendrick, a NASCAR driver, died in a plane crash on his way to a race; then just days later, Emily discovered she was pregnant with their daughter, Ricki. Now Emily is eager to move into the next step of her life, and find the husband to complete her otherwise happy life as a loving mother.Chris Harrison explained how Emily‘s role as a mother will play into this season of The Bachelorette -- but its many of her other incredible qualities that he thinks will have America, and her 25 suitors, falling in love with Emily all over again. But first, watch this 3-minute video from ABC, a sneak peek at all the drama and romance to come for Emily. And OH BOY, there will be drama. You won‘t believe the words that come out of this protective mother‘s mouth when one scummy bachelor refers to her daughter as "baggage." OK, I‘ll just tell you: She tells him to "get the f*** OUT!" WATCH:  Read more »

Only a few short hours separate us from the Bachelorette season 8 premiere, when Emily Maynard will embark upon the romantic journey that will change her life forever ... or not ... considering the last time she got engaged on this show didn‘t go so well ...Anyway: I can‘t believe I almost forgot to give you the only way you‘re going to get through tonight‘s largely boring episode! Yes, I‘ve seen the episode sans rose ceremony, and I‘m sorry to say that despite our new Bachelorette‘s genuinely lovely and refreshing personality, it looks like tonight‘s initial "meet and greet" between her and the guys might be more of a "bore and snore" for those of you who‘d rather dispense with the pleasantries and get to the desperation and insanity. Thankfully, the preview for this season seems to indicate that drama will be on the rise as the weeks go on.And thankfully for tonight, you‘ve got this brand new drinking game I just made up! So gather your pals and pints, and cheers to another round of hearing those words we all relish so much: "Will you accept this rose?" Read more »

I repeat: IS Stevie the Party Emcee this season‘s Jeff the Mask? I mean, there are obvious differences. For instance, we can see Stevie‘s face, because Stevie is not wearing a mask as an overwrought and cliched symbolic attempt to get Emily to appreciate him for his personality rather than his looks. That would be the main difference between Stevie the dancin‘ disco DJ and Jeff the mask-wearing weirdo. But Stevie does seem to be getting the "Jeff treatment" from the rest of the guys in this deleted scene from last night‘s Bachelorette premiere. They‘re laughing at and talking to him, but that‘s because he poses so little threat to them. He asks for the attention, yes, but he thinks he‘s showing off, and they see him as a sideshow. They‘re mocking him, basically -- and he is either too trusting or too oblivious to know it. And Emily seems to have no idea what to think of Stevie, yet gave him a rose anyway -- much like Ashley did with Jeff. Stevie also reminds me of Jeff in that I love him, yet I do not like him. Does that make sense? I want him to emcee my bat mitzvah, but mostly so I could laugh at his terrible song choices and ridiculous dance moves. But then we‘d go out drinking together after. Oh, Stevie. You‘ve got me so conflicted! Please overstay your welcome. And oh, my Bachelorette buddies! Check out this deleted scene of Stevie‘s KILLER dance moves, and then see the always entertaining and depressing Diaries of the Departed, in which Emily‘s first casualties of the season express their confusion, regret and drunkenness:  Read more »

The first Bachelorette cocktail party is always a blur of names, faces, neckties and awkward introductions, but inevitably, a few prime pieces of man-meat always stand out from the pack. Yes, it‘s a little too early to tell which guy, if any, will turn out to be Emily‘s perfect match, and especially too early to say if they‘ll be up to snuff when it comes to being a father-figure to little Ricki. But we can judge them on their first impressions -- and their figure-figures, too. So, here are the top five bachelors I‘d say made the strongest impressions in last night‘s premiere. You tell me: which one is your favorite? (Don‘t see your favorite in this short list? Tell us who else you liked in the comments!) Read more »

This Monday on The Bachelorette, Emily will embark on her first three dates of the season: two one-on-ones with Ryan the studly football player and Joe, who was most notable in this week‘s premiere for having no control over his own volume or enthusiasm. I guess Emily likes a guy who brings the excitement, because lucky Joe gets to accompany her to a fancy resort in West Virginia, where they‘ll submit their dreams on pieces of paper to a "love clock"!Yeah, I don‘t really know what that means, either. But you can find a link to a clip from their date, in which Joe and Emily recite their love-clock-dream-wishes, below!Elsewhere in the episode, Emily will put Ryan to "the cookie test" (also find out what THAT means below), and in her big group date of the episode, perform on stage with 13 of her bachelors and THE MUPPETS. Watch two clips from the Muppet date right here:  Read more »

Emily Maynard is in her element. And not just because The Bachelorette has initially relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina so the single mom can stay at home with her daughter Ricki.In a conference call with the media yesterday, two days after America watched her hand out her first roses, Emily said that the guys saw her "feisty and sassy" side this season -- a side that didn‘t come across much when she was on The Bachelor last year. "The guys came in having an image of me in their head, but as they got to know me better, they all said [I was] nothing like they thought I‘d be, and that it was a good thing," Maynard said, adding that she‘d "neverbeen called ‘boring‘ in [her] normal everyday life."The clip preview for this season hints that Emily will indeed bring the sass, and a bit of a sailor mouth, to the show this season. And that‘s good news for ABC and Bachelorette fans, too, who prefer their reality TV romance with a hefty side of drama.As for the romantic results of the show, Emily stayed tight-lipped, but she did share some thoughts on this week‘s premiere, how the show has affected her daughter, and more:   Read more »

Following the earlier leads of NBC and FOX, ABC has announced its TV broadcast schedule for the fall of 2012. Much of the schedule does look familiar -- only 5 new series will debut in the fall -- but there are some big changes to watch for. Get the ABC fall 2012 schedule scoop here! Read more »

Last week, Emily met and then said goodbye to six guys whose names we already forgot. But not the guy who brought a giant egg. Or the guy who showed up in a helicopter and could use a good amnesia-inducing smack on the head, like the male version of Goldie Hawn‘s character in Overboard. Or the guy who is named Stevie and whose job is a "party emcee." It takes all kinds! (To make an entertaining TV show.) This week, she goes on her very first dates with the 19 remaining men in the running to become her husband and the father-figure to little Ricki, who will make her first appearance in front of the guys tonight.  Read more »

We didn‘t see much of Travis the Egg Man on last night‘s Bachelorette episode. Luckily, that‘s what deleted scenes on the internet are for.Check out the lengths to which Travis is going to let Emily know that he will trap her and little Ricki in an egg and sit on them be a doting, loving father. Plus, this week‘s Diaries of the Departed, another dance-related deleted scene, more from the Muppet show, and Emily on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Read more »

Time waits for no man ... even if he puts an allegedly everlasting wish in the Love Clock.That‘s the lesson we would have taken away from The Bachelorette if we were Joe Gendreau, the unsuspecting gentleman who got the heave-ho from Emily Maynard on Monday‘s episode, after accompanying her on what he probably thought was a perfectly lovely first date to the Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia. They rode in a private jet! They swam! They shared their deepest wishes with the ancient, all-knowing Love Clock! But it was all for naught, as Emily revealed that she and Joe weren‘t meant to be, denying him the rose and his wish in one fell swoop. Sorry, Joe. Maybe next time?Joe spoke with the media in a conference call yesterday, and didn‘t sound too broken up about that unfulfilled wish. Here are some of the highlights from his call: Read more »

Monday marks Memorial Day here in America, but Emily Maynard‘s search for a husband isn‘t taking the day off. This week, Emily will take some of her suitors to the park, where one of her friends, there to "grill‘ the guys on their marriageable qualities, takes a particular liking to Sean and his rock-hard abs. For her one-on-ones this week, Emily accompanies Chris on the season‘s first Fear Date, scaling a building, and then take Arie to one of her favorite places in the world, Dollywood. Then, at the weekly pre-rose ceremony cocktail party, two guys rub Emily the wrong way: Alessandro for his insistence that marrying a woman with a kid is a "compromise," and Kalon when he condescendingly cuts her off as she‘s speaking. Don‘t they know who‘s handing out the roses around here?Check out this glorious plethora of sneak preview clips from Monday night‘s episode, which moves back to its regular time (8 to 10pm) and its regular drama (Who‘s not here for the right reasons?!) all at once: Read more »

The 2011-2012 TV season has officially come to a close,  the Nielsen ratings are in and for the first time in nine years, the most-watched show of the season isn‘t American Idol.The FOX reality juggernaut, which has been the highest-rated show in total viewers and the coveted 18-49 demographic for the past eight seasons, was dethroned in both categories by NBC‘s Sunday Night Football.  Read more »

Heyooo, Bachelorette-lovin‘ babies! Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend. And what better way to cap off the holiday celebrating America‘s servicemen and women than two hours of a reality TV soap opera? This is freedom in action, my friends. The freedom to make bad choices when it comes to finding love AND finding something to watch. Speaking of bad choices, we kick off with Chris Harrison talking to the guys, some of whom are making some terrible fashion choices. Michael is wearing his hair slicked half up like a Chinese gymnast, and Charlie is wearing an XXXXXL Osh Kosh B‘Gosh t-shirt. It‘s all bright and stripy. Sorry, guys. But the way to convince a woman that you‘re right to raise her child is not to dress like a child.  Read more »

In a rare departure from her typical Bachelorette blogging style, Emily Maynard shared something completely hilarious and awesome about Alessandro, the Brazilian "grain merchant," word-vomit sufferer and cousin-loving "gypsy king," in her People.com blog this week: The rose ceremony was crazy, to say the least! Alessandro‘s comments definitely threw me for a loop, but that wasn‘t even the craziest thing he said. What you all didn‘t get to see is that he thinks of himself as a "Vampire Detector" and let me know that not only was there a vampire in the house, but he also had me join him in the woods, which explains my combat boots as I was walking him out.When he took me out to his special place in the woods, I saw that he had hung crosses from every limb on every tree and in that moment I knew we were living on completely different planets. I do appreciate Alessandro‘s honesty, but maybe he should try to keep a house plant alive before we test his skills out on my daughter!Whoa. First of all: Seriously, ABC? A contestant calling himself a "Vampire Detector" and taking an unsuspecting woman out to his questionably religious, definitely creepy shrine in the woods wasn‘t considered interesting enough to make it to air? And second of all: Emily. You left out the most important part. WHO IS THE VAMPIRE IN THE HOUSE?!  Read more »

When this season of The Bachelorette started, Oregon lumber trader Tony Pieper was so excited about his possibilities with Emily Maynard that he showed up with a glass slipper on a satin cushion, just to prove to the Bachelorette how invested in "the fairy tale" he was.But Tony‘s other, even bigger investment got the better of his chances with Maynard. At first, his son back home was a source of common ground for Tony and Emily, whose role as a single mother has featured heavily this season. But on Monday‘s episode, Tony got so distraught over missing his son that Emily felt compelled to send him home -- a decision she announced so gently that even Tony was visibly unsure if she was comforting him or kicking him out. Tony spoke with the media in a conference call yesterday about his tough time on The Bachelorette, whether he thinks things could have been different between him and Emily, and who he now thinks is the best guy to join her family: Read more »

Some of us (me) mock The Bachelor by obsessively following, posting and mocking every news bit and episode. That‘s one (great, heroic, unmissable, Pulitzer-worthy, some might say) way to go.And some of us, like Ben Stiller, Ken Marino, Kristen Bell, and Michael Ian Black (whoever THEY are), mock The Bachelor by parodying it in a hilarious scripted web series about a fireman who wants to find the right woman to set his heart on fire, or slide down his pole, or whatever other fire-fighting metaphor you want to use, as I bet there will be a lot of them. Burning Love is that web series, and if these previews are any indication, it is going to be glorious. And it premieres on the Yahoo! Comedy Channel this Monday, June 4! That‘s very soon! Here are the previews, plus a few more good reasons to watch, for good measure:  Read more »

Burning Love, the Bachelor parody web series, written by Erica Oyama and directed by her husband, Ken Marino (who also plays the love-seeking star, Mark) officially premiered today, and it‘s even funnier -- and full of even more famous faces -- than I imagined! Whether you‘re a well-versed Bachelor fan or not, it‘s definitely worth your time to check out this hilarious reality dating show send-up.At around nine minutes a pop, each episode of Burning Love is blissfully brief compared to The Bachelor‘s more movie-length airings. But I just couldn‘t get enough Burning Love, so I‘m glad they kicked off with three whole episodes on the very first day. Mark‘s journey of love is off to a romantic, weird, uncomfortable start: WATCH: Read more »

See what happens when Ryan, the former pro football player and current Bachelorette falling star, confides in Emily about his massive ego. Plus, dude drama erupts in the house when Doug the Dad makes the shocking claim that maybe 25-year-old Chris isn‘t as wise and mature as the older guys in the house. HOW DARE HE?Speaking of wise and mature: Check out a special bonus clip from last week‘s Bachelorette episode, in which occult-obsessed Alessandro literally took Emily into the woods, by candlelight, to show her his creepy anti-vampire shrine. Glorious! Read more »

This week on The Bachelorette, definite front-runners emerged, while others may have received roses, but still fell further from the pack (*coughRYANcough*). One of those frontrunners is one-F Jef, who has yet to get much private time with Emily, but still got the group date rose on this week‘s cutthroat sailing date. Here‘s what Emily said about why she gave the rose to Jef in her People.com blog: "Speaking of kissing, as Jef and I were walking down to the beach, I was thinking, "What a perfect place for us to have our first kiss!" Clearly he wasn‘t thinking the same thing!Everything else with Jef and me came so easily, so I couldn‘t figure out why he still hadn‘t tried to kiss me. I hoped giving him one more group date rose would let him know that I had a huge crush on him and that he better make a move soon."In this week‘s Bachelorette deleted scene, we see that later that week at the cocktail party, Jef had ANOTHER chance to make a move, but -- as he puts it -- he "wussed out." There‘s no denying that these two have a natural connection though. Just watch their low-key, relaxed conversation on the beach. PLUS: A Bachelorette Uncensored clip depicted some of the guys‘ special, err, talents. Read more »

As the weeks go on, it only becomes clearer that ABC cast very few legitimate candidates to be Emily Maynard‘s husband and her daughter‘s new dad. I mean, if they did, how did THIS guy get through? But Emily‘s not giving up hope, or her $350,000 wardrobe, so her quest for a fast-acting father figure continues. This week, our broad and her broad shouldered boys go abroad!Chris Harrison gathers the bros to tell them that Emily has already left North Carolina (cool communal girlfriend move), and they‘ll be joining her in Bermuda as the first leg of a "worldwide tour." Except the guys who won‘t get roses on this week‘s dates. Bermuda will be their first and last stop. Let me just say, I can‘t believe Music Mike with the Majestic Hair has made it to the international dates. THAT HEADBAND.  Read more »

Earlier this week, I hesitated to write about the rampant rumors that former Bachelorette contestant Roberto Martinez had signed on as the next Bachelor, because the news -- and the alleged contract -- seemed premature. I mean, let‘s not mince words: What about Arie? Emily Maynard‘s shiny new racecar driver  is currently wooing her, my and your pants off on The Bachelorette. Wasn‘t he going to at least get a shot at the job?But I probably should have learned my lesson back when those same sorts of rumors swirled about another final choice/ex-fiance from a previous season: Emily Maynard. Brad chose Emily, they broke up, Emily said she never wanted to do The Bachelorette, and now here she is -- doing The Bachelorette. According to (newly legally settled) spoiler king Reality Steve, ABC is going for a similar story arc with sexy Latino insurance agent Roberto, who ended The Bachelorette season 6 engaged to Ali Fedotowsky, then broke it off after 18 months, amid rumors that -- what else? -- Ali wanted to continue playing the fame game, and Roberto wanted a normal, non-famous life.Not so -- at least not anymore, reports Steve, who says that Roberto is headed straight back into the public eye as the next Bachelor:  Read more »

We didn‘t learn much about Charlie Grogan, even though he spent four weeks in front of our faces trying to woo Emily Maynard. Sadly, his most memorable moments were relatively embarrassing ones, but also humanizing, sympathy-inducing ones: First, when he had trouble with his lines on the Muppet date and confided in Emily about his ongoing recovery from his devastating head injury. And this week, in Bermuda, when he cried after his team lost the sailing race. Hey -- at least he‘s not the only guy who‘s cried this season.But now that months have passed since Emily withheld a rose from him that week in Bermuda, Charlie‘s keeping his chin up. Maybe because, as Charlie tells it, he and Emily never had a spark to begin with -- even though, and viewers never knew this, they‘d met once before. Here are the highlights from Charlie‘s conference call with the media today: Read more »

Tonight, The Bachelorette travels to jolly ol‘ London Town! And I attempt to use every Britishism I have ever learned, from the Harry Potter films mostly. Don‘t be daft, it‘s going to get cheeky!Are you annoyed yet?I hope not as annoyed as you are that Kalon and Ryan are STILL here. I started out this season with fairly strong feelings of "like" for Emily. But I don‘t know if I can truly grow to L-word her (lesbian/love) if she keeps having such poor judgment about these plonkers. (That‘s British for "reality TV contestant.")Once again, Emily has brought her daughter to another international destination, just so they can spent very little time together and so none of the guys can meet her. Emily is excited to be in London because it‘s "old." Funny, that‘s the same logic she used when she accepted the proposal of Brad Womack.  Read more »

What up, my West Virginia backwoods hoodrats? Last night‘s Bachelorette episode finally dredged up the drama that we were waiting for when one of the men incorrectly identified Emily‘s "baggage" as her daughter (the actual baggage being the part of her brain that keeps thinking that being on this show is going to find her a quality husband). Also, the men dressed up in costumes (some as LADIES, lol) and poorly performed Shakespeare. It was awesome, in that it was so terrible.And it looks like the drama will continue, according to the preview for next week‘s episode/the rest of the season, when it appears that Emily will take back the rose that she gave to one man earlier in the episode! Who could it be? My (obvious) guess is under the jump, along with three bonus clips from last night‘s episode, that epic preview, another look at Emily and Kalon‘s dramatic "Get the f*ck out!" fight, and the latest episode of the hilarious Bachelor parody web series, Burning Love. Enjoy! Read more »

The cesspool is open for business again!Rumors have been circulating for weeks about which Bachelor and Bachelorette alums would grace us with their tanned, toned beach bodies and demented desperation for love and/or $250,000 in prize money on Bachelor Pad 3.And today, US Weekly revealed the motley cast, which just goes to show that there really ARE no rules on Bachelor Pad, because last season‘s winner, Michael Stagliano, has returned to ... I guess ... defend his title? More likely, he‘ll be trying to publicly work out his issues, since his ex-girlfriend/co-winner Holly Durst got married earlier this month to Michael‘s on-air nemesis, Blake Julien.But enough about that tired old drama. Check out the fresh (and not so fresh) meat who are already out in LA, getting ready to film Bachelor Pad 3. As you‘ll recall, this season will be the first to feature Bachelor "super fans" who, inexplicably, wanted their chance to be a part of the half-naked hell-fest.  Read more »

"The difference between a skirt and a kilt is, uh ... nothing."So says Bachelorette contestant Sean in the following sneak peek from Monday‘s upcoming episode in Croatia. And though I‘m sure there are lots of Scots out there who would beg to differ with him on that, I have to admit that these guys do look pretty silly with their green plaid kilts flowing in the breeze. But it‘s not because of the kilts. It might be the matching muscle tees. Or how they‘re walking in a line trying to look all hard, but end up looking like a Broadway musical "gang" who might break into a lively jig at any moment. Or the fact that they‘re on their way to compete in a fake "Highland Games" field sports competition inspired by a Disney/Pixar film for children. Maybe it‘s all of the above?Check out the clip, which shows the guys and Emily kicking off their "Highland Games" (inspired by the upcoming animated movie Brave) with an archery competition ... which isn‘t exactly Chris‘s expertise. WATCH:  Read more »

Could anything possibly top last week‘s Bachelorette episode, with its Shakespeare butchery and "baggage" screamfest? We find out this week, when Emily and her remaining maybe-husbands head to Croatia. Emily‘s finally daughter-free, and she‘ll also get closer (make out) with the whole slew of dudes. I doubt that‘s a coincidence.Even though she can finally count her guys on two hands, Emily openly admits that she still has "no clue" about some of her "relationships" (here‘s a clue: those aren‘t called "relationships," then) so she‘s excited to investigate those mystery men in a highly orchestrated and supervised setting.She makes a rare visit to her bro-harem to hand out the first date card of the week, and Ryan immediately marks his territory by peeing on her putting his arm around her. The card is for Travis, he of the symbolic and tragically smashed ostrich egg named SHELLY, and it reads, "Let‘s look for love beyond the walls." I think she means "beyond the pale."  Read more »

Thanks to cocky, trophy-wife-seeking Ryan‘s many ridiculous quotes, hygiene rituals and tanktops, we definitely weren‘t yawning during last night‘s Bachelorette episode. But now that Emily has eliminated the last remaining "villain," will there be enough drama to sustain our attention as she continues to look for her husband on TV?Personally, these deleted scenes from last night‘s episode give me hope. Chris may not have Ryan‘s lady-killer manipulation moves down, but his hapless attempts to get Emily‘s attention are still entertaining, and definitely more endearing. And unlike Ryan, who had an almost superhuman ability to say the wrong thing at all times, Jef is always ready with the perfect quip ... and it‘s Emily who bungles her words around him. And with Doug still around to cry at the drop of a hat, clearly there‘s still plenty of drama left to be enjoyed and mocked this season: Read more »

As you‘ve probably seen if you‘ve been to the grocery store in the past week, Life & Style is currently running a cover story about Emily with the headline, "YES, I‘M ENGAGED." Yet nowhere in the story is there such a quote directly from The Bachelorette herself. Instead, the tabloid cites an unnamed source for these vague details about Emily‘s rumored "fairytale ending," complete with a 4-carat diamond from Neil Lane: "It was truly a one-of-a-kind fairy-tale experience for her," an insider shares.The proposal, filmed for the final episode, which airs on July 16, took place in the cobblestone courtyard of the Kura Hulanda resort on the Caribbean island of Curacao."The final bachelor was led through a grand sky-blue gate to where Emily stood," reveals the insider. "The proposal took place in the middle of the night, which gave it a more intimate feel." [...] "Emily is still happy and engaged. She is ecstatic. She‘s over the moon and loves her ring." Emily‘s daughter shares her mom‘s joy, the pal asserts: "Ricki is really happy, too."Of course, this is all speculation as this point, because the big question still remains: If Emily is indeed engaged, which man is she engaged to? For weeks now, we‘ve heard lots of rumors that these guys are Emily‘s final two, but Reality Steve has yet to stake his claim on one side of the fence or the other, and this week admitted that he might be "missing something" about the rumored final three -- as apparently those words came out of the mouth of one of the final three guys. It‘s all very vague.So, for now, the ending remains a mystery. But maybe it‘s more fun that way! And we still have lots of Bachelorette dirt to sift through this week, starting with a new promo for Monday‘s dramatic episode: Read more »

Say what you will about Ryan Bowers -- oh, and I have -- but you could never accuse the guy of not trying hard enough with Bachelorette Emily Maynard. Boy, did he try. He tried with several iterations of deep-cut v-necks and evil facial hair designs. With many, many pages of notebook paper with long lists of vaguely patronizing adjectives on them. With all those g-d casual scarves.But most of all, Ryan tried with his smooth pickup artist moves. His most memorable attempts at romance include that time he told Emily she better never get fat or he‘d never want to have sex with her again, when he toasted the group to his "future trophy wife," when he improv‘d the line "I‘m not dead yet!" as Romeo so he could kiss dead Juliet (Emily) twice, and when he told Emily she would make a good "trophy wife" a million more times.But it turns out that some of Ryan‘s BEST pick-up lines didn‘t even make it to air! Can you believe it? Me neither. I really thought we were seeing his best material. Real A-game stuff right there. Watch this deleted scene of Ryan trying out his favorite pickup lines on a poor, unsuspecting Croatian girl who was just trying to do her job and mind her own business, and then check out even MORE of Ryan‘s favorite pickup lines! The Doctor of Romance is IN: Read more »

This week, Emily and her final six men embark on the final leg of their tour of the world‘s coldest, rainiest, creepiest castles. They‘re in Prague, and the pressure is ON, as Emily must decide who will return to America with her so she can spend a couple hours hearing about their families‘ hobbies and judging their home decor.Chris Harrison greets the guys and reassures them that Emily "definitely" sees a future with all of them. Except the two who will be dumped by the end of the week. Then he explains, boringly, that there will be no roses available on the one-on-one dates this week, but there WILL be one on the group date, because group dates aren‘t awkward enough and are a lot more fun with a ridiculous level of rivalry and bitterness involved.  Read more »

Last night, fan favorite and frontrunner Arie Luyendyk, Jr. almost lost his footing with Bachelorette Emily Maynard because of a so-called deep, dark "secret" ... that he didn‘t even realize he was keeping. Arie dated Bachelor producer (and one of Emily‘s close friends throughout filming) Cassie Lambert many years ago, but it wasn‘t until they were several weeks into the season, when Arie and Emily were getting so serious that she was contemplating going home to meet his family, that Cassie happened to mention it. This sent Emily into a truth-seeking tizzy that, unlike most Bachelor drama, actually ended agreeably: Cassie hadn‘t mentioned it because their relationship was so long ago, casual and brief that she didn‘t want to color Emily‘s opinion of Arie, and Arie hadn‘t mentioned it because he pretty much forgot it ever happened. Emily realized no one was hiding anything worth knowing from her, and she and Arie moved on. Turns out, sometimes truth is tamer than (tabloid) fiction.Also unlike most Bachelor drama, the most pivotal moments in this little, err, misunderstanding, went on behind the scenes. But in her People.com blog today, Emily shared a closer look into what went down, revealing that she had been told in the beginning that one of her 25 guys dated Cassie a long time ago, she just didn‘t know which one:  Read more »

Last night, Emily Maynard narrowed her field down to four men on The Bachelorette. So you know what that means: Next week, it‘s time for the pivotal Hometown Dates! And between Chris‘s deep Polish roots, Arie‘s hard-to-impress parents, Jef‘s skeptical siblings and Sean‘s big surprise, Emily is in for plenty of tests as she travels the country, trying to decide which man is the best fit as her husband and Ricki‘s father.Below, see two sneak peeks of next week‘s big episode, plus read details for each of Emily‘s hometown pitstops:"The stakes are high as Emily returns from her exciting and emotionally charged journey around the world to travel across the country to visit Arie, Chris, Jef and Sean in their hometowns. She has shown a spirit and resilience that has surprised her suitors, but she will be severely tested by some of the families as she tries to figure out if she can be in love with more than one man. Are all of these bachelors ready for marriage and to be dads? Emily will find out from the people that know them the best, as she moves closer to making her own fairytale come true."  Read more »

It‘s that time of year once more. The Bachelorette is hurdling toward its still obscure but probably-not-out-of-the-ordinary conclusion, and the tabloids are hurling around whatever ridiculous claims they can pay attention-desperate morons and "unnamed sources close to whoever" to corroborate. What a joy! Let‘s see the slop, I MEAN NEWS, that they‘re serving up this week:  Read more »

The curse of the First Impression Rose lives on! This season, the curse proved true for Seattle-area single dad Doug Clerget, who could never quite live up to that great impression he made on Bachelorette Emily Maynard the very first night.Despite misgivings that he was "hiding" something and too uncomfortable to go in for a kiss, Emily kept the sweet dad around until her top six. But an awkward three-on-one date was made even more awkward when Doug finally went in for that first kiss ... in the middle of Emily breaking up with him. Then, to add embarrassment to injury, in the car on his way to the airport, Doug cried and said his "girl radar" was broken. Ouch. Doug talked to the media about his up-and-down journey on The Bachelorette yesterday. Here are the highlights from that call: Read more »

Finally, Emily Maynard and her final four are coming back to the ol‘ U-S-of-A for the always sappy and awkward HOMETOWN DATES! And this week‘s dates are more super-charged than ever, because now Emily has an outside sounding board for her incessant questions about who‘s ready to be an insta-dad. (Nobody. Nobody is ready to be an insta-dad. But all of them will insta-try, if it means they get to see what‘s under Emily‘s jeggings.) Emily‘s going to grill these guys‘ families like they‘re hot dogs on the Fourth of July. And since she‘s the one who has a child and yet tried (twice) to get a husband on a TV show, they‘re probably going to grill her right back.Before she heads to the first hometown, Emily goes back to her home in Charlotte, to hug little Ricki for a few hours ... and then leave before she wakes up. She just pulled a one night stand on her own daughter! But when Ricki‘s older, she‘ll understand that it was for the family‘s greater good.  Read more »

Last night, we saw Bachelorette Emily Maynard narrow down her final three guys to Arie, Jef and Sean -- which, if you‘ve been reading Reality Steve‘s blog lately, you probably expected, as his initial spoiler post about this season of The Bachelorette accurately laid out the eliminations through last night‘s episode.Today, Steve posted the big spoiler he knows many of us have been waiting for: Which man is Emily engaged to ... if any of them? Well, he says he‘s got the 100% confirmed answer. Obviously, stop reading now if you want to be surprised at the finale. The rest of you, meet me after the break:  Read more »

Have we ever talked about the Bachelor/Bachelorette music before? You know, those swirly, swelling, magic-sparkle-unicorn-fart sounds that play at the beginning of the episode and after every commercial break? Oh man. We should. Because I was just watching these Bachelorette bonus videos and thinking about how much I love the music on this show. And how I love it even MORE because the music is almost always 100% tone-deaf and wrong for the scene that immediately follows it. The music is all like, "Twinkle twinkle, here comes the most romantic moment in the history of human beings marrying each other for love instead of pragmatic monetary and security concerns!" and then the scene is like, "Got ya again! Just some regular ol‘ fools being foolish." It‘s always the same trick, and it works every time.EXCEPT THIS WEEK. One scene actually lived up to the hype that is "Fairytale Princess Thinks Back Nostalgically Upon the Day She Was Engaged to Prince Charming While Petting a Cartoon Kitten," which I assume is the name of the theme music for The Bachelor(ette). And that scene is when Jef read his letter to Emily atop a beautiful Utah mountain in front of a beautiful Utah sunset. And Emily smiled her beautiful North Carolinian smile like, "Thank you for making this decision so much easier, future husband." What a cute moment! Let‘s watch it again, along with these other bonus videos from last night‘s Bachelorette episode:  Read more »

Whether you decided to read the big finale spoiler or not, Monday‘s Bachelorette episode should be plenty dramatic, because there‘s one thing none of us knows yet: How will Emily Maynard handle those "fantasy suite" invitation cards when they come?Well, there‘s one person who does know how it all goes down next week (besides Emily and her final three guys, that is): Bachelorette host Chris Harrison, who told TV Guide about Emily‘s fantasy suite dilemma: "Of course there is an issue. In this scenario, it‘s interesting because Emily is a mom so there‘s definitely a conversation about it. Things aren‘t going to get easier, and Emily‘s not going to get an easy out. From here on out it‘s Emily trying to choose a lifestyle, a father for Ricki and a great man and husband for herself. These guys get better each week and in my opinion she‘s narrowed it down to three phenomenal guys."Below, read all about Monday‘s episode, which takes Emily, Sean, Jef and Arie to the romantic island of Curacao, where Emily must decide whether to follow her "heart‘s desire" and stay the night with any or all of the guys, and ultimate choose two to remain another week, potentially meet her daughter, and possibly propose. PLUS: Check out a sneak peek of Emily and Jef‘s date. Before he can think about proposing, Jef has some serious questions for her. Read more »

Last night on The Bachelorette, Emily made out with Sean, Jef and Arie but then denied them all a trip to her "fantasy suite," spent a few hours crying and then sent Sean home without an explanation. That‘s pretty much everything that happened, but if you‘d like more details, may I suggest the recap? There‘s a pretty good screenshot of Emily looking like she‘s gonna puke with sadness.Are you still here? Did you at least open the recap in a new tab? Great! Because there‘s a lot to cover over here, too. Here we go. Read more »

Poor Emily Maynard. She has three committed beefcakes who are madly in love with her after two months of non-exclusively never getting past first base with her. And now she has to pick a husband?! With rock-hard pecks come rock-hard choices.Because she can barely keep track of all these boyfriends, Emily begins this week‘s episode by reminding us of the vital differences between her top three:  Read more »

Remember that time in London when Kalon McMahon, the guy whose personality and face perfectly matched up with his pretentious and douchey name, almost like he was a character created by a soap opera writer precisely for the purpose of creating drama, called Bachelorette Emily‘s daughter "baggage" to another guy, and that guy told another guy, and that third guy told Emily, so Emily told Kalon to "get the f*ck out"? Of course you do. How could we forget? It was the most dramatic event of the entire season. Which isn‘t saying much, but still. We relished it, even if some of us (not naming names) questioned whether Emily really had a right to be so offended and surprised, given Kalon‘s open history of being a spoiled, rude, entitled idiot. Mama bear protecting her young! The claws come out, West Virginia backwoods hoodrat style!On this Monday‘s Men Tell All special, Kalon will use his way with words to attempt to apologize for his egregious "baggage" comment, but Emily ain‘t buying it. WATCH:  Read more »

There‘s currently a rumor circulating, from In Touch of all places, that Emily Maynard was "rejected" by her top choice in the Bachelorette finale (airing in two weeks), and that the guy she‘s engaged to -- read that spoiler here, if you wish -- actually "won by default."Here‘s more detail from the so-called "insider" who told the tabloid all about the insane drama, which somehow managed to stay under wraps and unpromoted by ABC until now:  Read more »

Isn‘t it fun how only the most trivial and simplistic television shows think it‘s essential to air a "reunion special" before the season is even over? It‘s like, we just got done with these people, and it was (for the most part) a pleasure and a relief to see them go. And now you‘re bringing them back to rehash drama that barely deserved to get hashed in the first place? ... OK, I guess I‘ll tune in just to see how you fill the time.Of course, The Bachelorette doesn‘t consider its annual "Men Tell All" special to be trivial at all. Here‘s how they‘re framing Monday‘s place-holder episode, before the big Bachelorette finale airs the week after:  Read more »

Everyone got their drinks, barf buckets and awkwardness shields at the ready? GREAT! It‘s time for The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All, when the men Emily Maynard didn‘t pick as her pre-husband gather for one final shot at being memorable.All the names and faces we grew to know and hate are here again, including the season‘s two biggest sh*theads: Ryan "I Want a Trophy Wife" Bowers and Kalon "I Want to be a Trophy Husband" McMahon. From the episode preview, it looks like they are both still deluded and stupid as ever. Hooray! Read more »

As I covered extensively last night, nothing new really came to light on the Bachelorette: The Men Tell All special, unless you count the shocking revelation that even after months of sober reflection and hours of watching themselves say many terrible things on television, Kalon and Ryan haven‘t grown at all.But, true to form, some of the most interesting -- and nauseating! -- moments from the Men Tell All didn‘t even make it to air. Here‘s what we missed from not being in that gasping, clapping and booing in-studio audience: Read more »

We‘re only five days away from the Bachelorette finale, and if Chris Harrison and Emily Maynard‘s tight lips at last night‘s Men Tell All are any indication, we may be in for three hours of shock and surprise on Sunday, when Emily chooses between her two top man-candidates (manidates?): Arie Luyendyk, Jr. and Jef Holm.Reality Steve hasn‘t changed his story since revealing his spoiler on how this Bachelorette season will end. But there‘s more to the story than just how it ends. Here‘s what ABC is saying about Sunday‘s big Bachelorette conclusion:  Read more »

When it comes to The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, there are lots of reasons not to let yourself feel. You don‘t know these people on your TV screen. Who knows what could be going on behind the scenes? And what ABC cut and manipulated in the editing room to deceive us? And who might not be there "for the right reasons"? The Bachelor or Bachelorette almost never picks the person you think they should pick. And even when they DO, they almost always end up breaking up within a year anyway.But, even if just for one minute and twenty six seconds, let us not be so jaded. Let us be like this adorable girl who just left the oral surgeon‘s office and, in a haze of anesthesia, declared her true, real, human feelings of hope and love for Jef Holm and Emily Maynard. She teaches us that it is okay, cathartic even, to feel for these people on reality TV whom we don‘t know at all. She just wants them to find happiness! Isn‘t that what we ALL want? Oh, and she cries and it‘s just, ugh, the cutest thing.WATCH: Read more »

It‘s Wednesday once again -- and the last Wednesday before the big Bachelorette finale! Still, shockingly, this week‘s tabloid rumors aren‘t quite as outrageous as last week‘s. What gives, gossip jockeys? Hey, when it comes to ridiculous rumors, we‘ll take what we can get, right? With a hefty grain of salt, of course. Here‘s the latest dirt being distributed in your local grocery aisle:  Read more »

Bachelorette host Chris Harrison, newly single and shirt opened, visited Jimmy Kimmel last night to discuss the never-ending carousel of reality dating shows for which he serves as emcee, on-call therapist and circus master.With the Bachelorette finale upon us this Sunday, Chris and Jimmy discussed Emily Maynard‘s final two guys, "Jef with one F" and Arie -- whom Jimmy predicted would make it to the top on Night One. "I‘m surprised his parents didn‘t just give him an extra F," Harrison joked about frontrunner Jef. "He should be Jef with no effs," Kimmel shot back, referring to Jef‘s decision to opt out of the sexy "Fantasy Suite" invite.Parroting himself on many an occasion, Harrison promised Kimmel that this weekend‘s three-hour finale, complete with a live one-hour "After the Final Rose" special, will "finally be ... the most dramatic finale ever!"  Read more »

It‘s that time again! The Bachelorette finale, when one heart will be broken, and two hearts will beat as one.We‘ve seen the spoilers, the photos, the preview and the hype.It‘s going to be the "most dramatic Bachelorette finale EVER!" And the After the Final Rose is going to be LIVE! Which means none of us REALLY know what‘s going to happen until it‘s all over.Yes, as Emily tries to decide which man who‘s never met her daughter is the best man to be her daughter‘s step-father, the stakes are impossibly high for us all. Every single one of us.Basically all I‘m trying to say is that this is the most important drinking game you‘re ever going to play. So play it well -- with friends around in case you need a shoulder to cry on. Or someone to drive you to the hospital. Read more »

They came, they drank, they catfought. In fact, so much "newbies vs. alumni" and "mean girls vs. Blakeley" and "Erica Rose vs. everyone" drama happened on the premiere of Bachelor Pad season 3 that it couldn‘t all fit into the two-hour episode! Check out two deleted scenes from Monday‘s introductory episode, plus the all-sorts-of-dramatic preview for the rest of the season:  Read more »

You can either respect him for speaking the truth to his fellow Bachelor Pad contestant Erica Rose and telling her she was his target ... or call him stupid for doing that exact thing. Whatever you may think, "super fan" David Mallet says he did what he had to doto protect himself and his fellow newbies, who were clearly the underdogs since joining the latest season of Bachelor Pad. In a conference call with the media yesterday, David talked about coming into the show as an "outsider," and also shared his thoughts on the Chris/Jamie/Blakeley drama, who can win it all and whether Erica Rose actually makes his life hell, as she promised she would if she wasn‘t voted out.  Read more »

Ed Swiderski doesn‘t take reality television seriously, and if you do, he thinks you‘re weird. But several times on this season of the Bachelor Pad, he‘s reminded that if he doesn‘t take it a bit more seriously, he‘ll be sent packing. That was especially true this week, when we saw him sweating bullets after Reid Rosenthal went behind Ed‘s to send him home. It seems Reid is still holding a grudge that Ed won when they were both on Jillian‘s season of The Bachelorette. In a conference call with the media today, Ed touched on where he and Reid stand moving forward on and off the show, his thoughts on this season‘s playboy-villain Chris Bukowski, and whether he finds romance in the house:  Read more »

It‘s the debate we wage every single year (or twice a year, if you count The Bachelorette) and yet it just never. Gets. Old. I probably think about it more than the presidential election, even.WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT BACHELOR?!?!That one guy who got dumped, or that other guy who got dumped? A guyfrom two seasons ago who got engaged and then got dumped later,off-camera? An actual dump (the garbage kind or the toilet kind?!)? Atotal newcomer? Your brother, maybe? Your brother‘s cousin‘s neighborwho is impossibly good-looking and successful and yet "unlucky in love"because of a debilitating and obnoxious (but entertaining) personalityflaw? TELL HIM TO SIGN UP. America‘s single ladies would be lining up outside his door if his existence finally became validated by reality TV fame.It‘s not that we don‘t trust those Bachelor producers to pick the right guy. (Or that they‘d ever listen to our input, anyway.) Sure, there have been missteps along the way (examples: Prince Lorenzo, Brad Womack the second time, that sloppy pile of apathetic haircalled a "Ben Flajnik"). But these are also the geniuses who saw the potential for a certain Canadian-tuxedo-wearing, Uncanny Valleyplatitude-factory who finished in a lowly sixth place on TheBachelorette to get power-drunk in the Bachelor spotlight and become the Rainbow Randolph of reality TV. Maybe they just got lucky with The Pavelka, but the Bachelor team generally seem to know what they are doing, awful-and-awfully-entertaining-human-being-casting-wise.  Read more »

Who could have guessed that Chris Bukowski, the guy who started an immature fight with his fellow Bachelorette contestants when they accused him of being immature, and who yelled "I TOLD YOU I LOVED YOU!" when Emily eliminated him, might not be the nicest, most respectful guy in the Bachelor Pad?Alright, maybe there were warning signs. But in an interview with TV Guide this week, host Chris Harrison says it -- his image, and his situation -- is only going to get worse for Chris Bukowski. "His arrogance really is astounding," the other Chris says. "Even if you think you know what‘s coming, the audacity is stunning in a sad way for him."At least sad Jamie seems to be sort of catching on to Chris‘s mind games. Check out two deleted scenes from Monday‘s Bachelor Pad episode:  Read more »

In next week‘s Bachelor Pad episode, expect the Chris/Blakeley/Jamie drama to get a bit more crowded when Sarah catches the eye of the Bachelor Pad‘s ladies‘ man."You‘ll see things completely blow up. I was so happy not to be part of that," Jaclyn Swartz said in a conference call with the media today. She also discussed the Ed/Reid debacle, and becoming friends with someone she did not expect.Here are highlights from Jaclyn‘s interview: Read more »

Admit it: You miss Bachelor Pad even though the last episode was only two days ago. You can‘t get enough of Chris -- is he a cute guy caught in a love triangle (er, square)? Is he a callous jerk? Can we hear his evil giggle from the last episode again? If you‘re someone who can‘t get enough, you‘re in luck, because one of the deleted scenes features Chris the Heartbreaker. But first, that boring gameshow competition almost redeems itself via a deleted scene:  Read more »

If you‘re a U.S. fan of the reality series Big Brother, you‘ve probably wondered what a celebrity version would look like. Well, that‘s a common occurrence in the U.K. and today marked the start of the 10th edition of Celebrity Big Brother in England. Read more »

I‘ve always imagined the way Chris Harrison would say those parting words to me when I did not receive the final rose. And now the time has come, iBuddies. After almost four years, more than 2,500 blog posts and approximately a thousand hours spent recapping The Bachelor, it‘s time for me to take a moment and say my goodbyes. Today is my last day at BuddyTV, which makes this my last article on BuddyTV for the foreseeable future. I‘ve accepted a new position at a different company here in Seattle that, while it won‘t quite afford me the unique creative freedom to photoshop Snooki inside of things or devote an entire day to cataloging the contortions of Tyra Banks‘ endlessly terrifying face, I am very excited about. I‘ll still be writing, just not in the form to which you‘ve become accustomed (8,000 word Bachelor recaps). I know. Shhh. I know. It‘s hard, but we‘re gonna be OK.  Read more »

If you believe Reality Steve, the surprisingly prescient blogger of such things, then yes. Sean Lowe will be the next man up on The Bachelor.  Read more »

It‘s HERRRRRE! The Bachelorette finale has finally arrived!Emily‘s down to her final two guys, Jef and Arie. How is she going to choose? Jef is so cute and playful, like a baby deer, yet Arie is so lean and funny, also like a baby deer! It‘s an impossible decision, and one that could truly only be made within two days and on national television. Read more »

Here we go again. Later in the summer, we‘ll be treated to the Olympics of athleticism. Tonight, we once again begin a slightly less ancient and much less honorable tradition -- the Olympics of televised dating. Tonight, 25 men began this harrowing race. This decathlon of emotions, embarrassment and ego. But by the end, only one man will be left standing with the shiny and coveted gold medal. Or, rather, the coveted woman who‘s wearing a shiny gold dress tonight -- Emily Maynard. And at the end of all this, she hopes to have something that many women would probably prefer over a gold medal: A diamond. This is truly epic stuff, you guys! If only Morgan Freeman were here to do voiceover.  Read more »