Ted Lasso is back—and things on the pitch are in a state of flux. A dazed-looking Ted (Jason Sudeikis) opens the third season of the Emmy-winning comedy—which dropped its first episode March 15 on...Welcome to The Bachelor’s Women Tell All episode! The set was, as usual, decorated with more candles and red roses than a funeral parlor. I don’t understand what these women saw in Zach Shallcross, but they clearly came ready to fight over him.
When host Jesse Palmer entered the room, the crowd screamed like they were seeing a rock star. Somebody thought it would be cute to put a graphic on the screen next to Jesse like he was a contestant: “Jesse Palmer, Age: 44, Host.” Clever. Is this new? I don’t remember ever seeing this before, and it made me giggle.
As Jesse reminded us, Zach “had to break a few hearts” and was now down to only three women left: Ariel Frenkel, Gabi Elnicki, and Kaity Biggar. The three were about to head into Fantasy Suite Week, or “As Zach likes to call it, Sex Week.” Eww. Thanks for that descriptive tidbit, Jesse.
Jesse told us that we would see a “sneak peek” later in the show, because “what transpires during the week of overnights is so shocking, so explosive and so emotional that it will have all of America talking.” Sounds like we’re going to get a repeat of the Clayton Echard fiasco when he confessed to contestant Susie Evans that he had slept with both of the other two women (Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia). Susie, who had previously warned him that any intimacy with the other women would be a deal breaker for her, abruptly left the show. Gabby and Rachel almost did, too. We all remember how ugly that was.
Jesse also told us that later in the show, someone’s life would “change forever.” Hmmmm. What could that be about? But first, he and Zach visited some Bachelor viewing parties to give the fans a thrill. The teachers’ group proclaimed themselves “the most dramatic viewing party ever.”
Next up were all the women (or most of them) who didn’t make the cut: Olivia, Victoria, Cat, Madison, Anastasia, Genevie, Mercedes, Kylee, Greer, Aly, Christina, Katherine, Jess, Brooklyn, and Charity Lawson. Cue the catfights!
After showing clips of the various disagreements and squabbles among the women, Jesse decided to bring the ladies themselves into the conversation to give each of them a chance to tell their side of the story. First up was Brooklyn, who we all know is not shy. One of her big points of contention was when Charity received Zach’s rose on the group date and Christina “made it about herself.” Brooklyn felt that Christina was “calculated, manipulative, and trying to intimidate” the rest of them.
Fortunately for Christina, Olivia (who?) came to her rescue. She said that Christina just has a “bold” personality and says “what everyone else is thinking, but doesn’t have the courage to speak up about.”
Katherine challenged Olivia, “What do you know? You literally went home night one!” Oh, low blow.
But Olivia was ready for Kat, and fired back, “And Zach got to learn about your personality, and then sent you home. So what does that say about you?” Touché!
After several women claimed that “Christina sucked the energy out of the room” and “made the other women uncomfortable,” Jesse gave Christina a chance to respond. While the Tennessee native admitted that she could have “shut the f*** up a little bit more,” she really wanted people to understand her intentions and felt like “everything I did was just the wrong thing. It was hard.” But she thanked the others for telling her all of that and said she would try to be better in the future. She took the others’ ganging up on her better than I would have.
Next on the hot seat was Anastasia. Not only did the women accuse her of being there for the “wrong reasons” (social media clout), but some of them believed she actually had a boyfriend while she was on the show. Anastasia flatly denied this, but the women refused to believe her and called her a liar. Harsh.
In order to reinforce what a “terrible” person Anastasia is, Kylee was called upon to reiterate the day in the Bahamas when Anastasia had been monopolizing Zach’s time and Kylee wanted to talk to him. When Kylee finally told her “I don’t want to fight with you,” Stassi finally backed down. But later she made a big deal that Kylee had said she was going to “fight” her, calling Kylee “aggressive.”
Kylee ended by telling Anastasia, “If you want to call me aggressive, fine. Call me aggressive for love, because, at the end of the day, I was just trying to further my relationship with [Zach]. Period. And unlike you, I was there for the right reasons.” Boom!
At that point, Genevie spoke up to defend Kylee and all the women of color. “Black women in general, every day we deal with the stereotype of being aggressive people. And we deal with very harsh micro-aggressions, which for anybody that doesn’t know, are extremely subtle. Very everyday interactions and behaviors that communicate bias towards historically marginalized groups of people.” She called out Anastasia for perpetuating that stereotype, rather than just letting it go. Instead, she had gone to everyone on the group date and “made it a thing that it wasn’t.” Very well-spoken, Genevie. She’s not wrong.
Jesse then brought up Katherine’s “stealing” of Zach when he arrived to pick up Charity for their date. She had pulled him out into the hallway for a quick kiss, but when he returned with lip gloss on his lips, it raised a few eyebrows — mainly Brooklyn’s, who called Katherine “selfish, classless, and disrespectful.” Jesse asked Kat if she was surprised at the reaction she got from the other women. Here we go.
Kat answered that she just didn’t realize at the time that the other women would “take offense,” but she did apologize (at a later time, which Charity clarified), but she didn’t appreciate the way Brooklyn had spoken about her and her “character.”
But Brooklyn, being the mature and respectful adult person that she is, repeated, “And I will say it again. If the shoe fits, lace that bitch right on up.” I’m sure Zach is not regretting her elimination right now.
When Jesse finally put a stop to all of them talking at once, he thanked them for coming and being so “open and honest.” And if any of their issues remained unresolved, “There’s always next summer . . . [on] the beaches of Paradise. I’m just saying.” I’ve been saying that, too. I’m sure we’ll see at least a few of them in Sayulita.
After the commercial break, Jesse invited Jess to the sofa to talk about why she got so in her head about being the last one to have a one-on-one date with Zach that he finally sent her home out of frustration. She just seemed so young to me, like someone who’s in high school rather than someone looking for her husband (she’s 23 years old.)
Watching the video of Zach and Jess’s breakup just reminded me of how painful it was to watch her beg for attention, when he just didn’t get how much she needed to have time with him. The word “gaslit” came to mind.
Ironically, Jess said, “I just wanted [his] time. And it didn’t feel like what I was trying to say was coming across to him, and he wasn’t understanding.” Hmmmm, sounds like “Mr. Communication is so important to me” was lacking in his communication skills. Wasn’t that the reason he broke up with Rachel on The Bachelorette?
Jess felt like she grew during the process of filming the show and with the support of the other women. She said, “I think I truly did fall in love with myself. And I know what I deserve, and it was way more than that.” Good for her!
“I just love the fact that you’re talking about learning to love yourself,” Jesse Palmer told her, “and understanding and knowing that you are worthy of love, because, Jess, you absolutely are. And you light up every room that you’re in.” Awwww. What a nice thing for him to say!
Next up was Greer, who “received Zach’s First Impression Rose.” He sent her home in Budapest. They started out strong, but first Zach had Covid and then she had it, so they just lost too much valuable time together. By the time she was released from quarantine, Zach’s relationships with the other women had just grown stronger, and he let Greer go.
Greer shed some tears while watching her story playback. Greer needs to buy some waterproof mascara ASAP.
Even though she had such high hopes at the start, watching the entire season so far, Greer realized, “We’re not each other’s person. And I just really hope he’s found his person, and I’m excited to meet mine.” That’s a very mature outlook, Greer. Could Greer be chosen to be the next Bachelorette? Time will tell.
Uh-oh. I spoke too soon. Jesse mentioned a controversy that arose since Greer’s elimination, in which she had defended a friend who posed in blackface. I hadn’t heard about that! Apparently, she had posted some comments on social media, which she later deleted, but someone made screenshots and reposted them. This is not good.
Jesse then said, “As a franchise, we’ve done a very poor job in the past of addressing serious topics head-on, and we’re not gonna miss that opportunity here tonight.” Wow. That was unexpected. Not only was this same topic the reason Chris Harrison lost his job, but the show has been called out in the past for ignoring similar situations.
Even though Greer apologized online, Jesse offered her the opportunity to say anything she wanted to add. “I’ve been wanting to address this. I don’t want to sweep it under the rug,” she said. “What I failed to mention in my apology was that what happened was racist. It’s not about the intent. It’s about the impact. [My friend] performing blackface was racist. Me defending it was racist. My ignorance was racist. I’m so ashamed. I’m just deeply sorry that I hurt the Black community . . . All I can do is to try to do better in my future.” Wow. Good job, show. It might sound scripted, but baby steps.
Greer spent some time talking with Dr. Kira Banks, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant. Dr. Banks brought to Greer’s attention “that it’s so important to be open-minded . . . before you speak, think. Before you say something that could hurt someone.” Greer did a deep dive into the history of blackface, why it was wrong, and why it was offensive. She realized it was a way of “dehumanizing” the Black community.
As Dr. Banks was in the audience, Jesse offered her the opportunity to add to the conversation. The most important thing she said was that when racism comes up, we need to be willing to name it and face it. “We can’t ‘nice’ our way out of racism.” She emphasized how important it is “to educate ourselves and to be willing to understand the history behind actions, and then be willing to do something different.”
Wow. I know there are people who be will be waving the “woke” flag (what’s wrong with being awake and aware anyway?), but I love that they are taking the steps to educate themselves and their audience. We can all use more education. It’s a process. Once again, good job, Bachelor producers!
Next on the hot seat was Katherine, who Jesse thought would be the winner of both Zach’s Final Rose and the engagement. But going into Hometown Week, Zach let her go because he “just couldn’t see a confident future” with her. Katherine really needs some waterproof mascara, too. I’ll bet she was mortified when she saw those raccoon eyes on TV.
Katherine told Jesse that because she discussed on-camera her problems with her mom while she was growing up, they’ve re-established their connection, and she has a relationship with her mom again due to the show. She said her whole family came together through watching her journey on the show.
Jesse next asked Charity to join him on stage. Watching her story back, Charity started sniffling and wiping away tears. Why don’t the producers just put a box of Kleenex on the table next to that couch? We’ve seen all the women cry, and Jesse even gave someone his handkerchief. How many hankies is he expected to carry?
Charity talked about how hard it was to bring Zach home to meet her family, only to have him let her go afterward. She claimed it was the first time in a long time that she’d trusted someone enough to fall in love. But even though she had her heart broken, she now felt more ready and even eager to find her person.
When Zach sat down to face all the women he’s broken up with, he admitted to being “terrified.” Jesse said he looked very stoic, but Zach insisted he was full of “pure panic.”
Kat thought their relationship was wonderful, but it ended so abruptly that she wanted to know if there was “any tangible moment or time . . . that there was, like, a shift in our relationship?”
Zach answered, “We both know it.” But do you, Zach? Why would she ask, if she already knew? He continued, “[We had] a very fast, intense connection . . . Our date in the Bahamas, like, that was unreal. Our connection never faltered. But when it was getting to that point right before Hometowns, I had to make that very difficult decision. There was nothing, not one moment . . . that made me look at you any different. It was just a very difficult decision, of like, I have to make one. And I took it really hard.” Huh? He just kind of went “eeny, meeny, minee” and decided that Kat would go home? And it was hard on him? Nick Viall was right. Zach really does lack empathy.
While acknowledging that Zach had to make a lot of hard decisions, Jesse told him that “hearts were breaking all over America” when he said goodbye to Charity. Really, Jesse? That’s a little over the top. Charity wanted to know why he let her go.
Once again, Zach more or less told Charity that it had to be someone. He knew he had to make a decision, and I guess he just didn’t see her as being his wife.
Next Jesse told Jess that she and Zach had seemed to have a strong connection, until things just seemed to fall apart. Sweet Jess told Zach, “I just want to say I respect you. I care about you, and I hope you’re happy and well.” She felt misunderstood in their last conversation but realized he also felt that way. But she was also surprised to see how hurt he was at letting her go, and she wondered why he couldn’t express his feelings to her while she was still there.
Zach told her, “I did not expect that night to go that way at all. I was frustrated.” When she left, he realized how much he really liked her and wondered why he hadn’t been able to convey that to her. That’s why he got emotional.
Mercedes and Kylee, who were eliminated via Zoom during Zach’s Covid quarantine, asked Zach if they could have a goodbye hug since they didn’t get one when they left. He gladly obliged them with a “group hug.”
Bloopers were next. My favorite was Zach offering Brooklyn a nice cup of “mold wine.” D’oh! A producer had to explain to him that it was actually “mulled wine,” which is wine warmed with spices and sometimes citrus or raisins. Seriously? Sometimes Zach is just embarrassing.
After teasing all night about Zach referring to the Fantasy Week dates as “Sex Week,” we finally saw previews of what looked like Thailand (it’s gorgeous!) and Zach’s voice-over saying, “It’s not conventional, but I decided that there would be no sex of any kind for Fantasy Suites.” Will he be able to keep that resolution? Sometime later we saw Zack telling Jesse that he woke up that morning with a “pit in my stomach” (Zach seems to get a lot of pits). “I feel like I let myself down, and I feel like I let the women down by saying one thing and doing another.” Ruh-roh. Looks like Zach didn’t keep his promise to himself. Of course, much drama (tears) ensued. Everybody was crying, and Zach claimed he’d been “robbed” of his “beautiful moment.” Looks like fun!
Oh, and Jesse promised us a “life-changing” moment was ahead. What could it be? Okay, apparently they’re going to announce the next Bachelorette. Who will it be? It’s Charity! Okay then. Honestly, not my favorite, but I’ll give her a chance. I did love her family.
As Jesse said, her life is never going to be the same. Congratulations, Charity!
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT CHARITY IS THE NEW BACHELORETTE? WHICH OF THE WOMEN DO YOU THINK ZACH SLEPT WITH DURING “SEX WEEK?”
[Photo Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC ]
The post Bachelor Season 27 Episode 9 Recap: The Women Tell All appeared first on Reality Tea.
Alexia Nepola from the Real Housewives of Miami reveals what she spent her first RHOM paycheck on in 2011.
“There were these Christian Louboutin pumps that had spikes … and I got rid of them not because I didn’t like them, but because they were so uncomfortable,” she told Page Six. If you’ve been watching the Real Housewives for some time, you know all about Christian Loubs or red bottoms. Many Housewives wear them.
Alexia says blowing all her money was “really easy” since early-day Bravo stars “didn’t get paid that much” then. Former Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member NeNe Leakes said their first season paychecks were $5,000. In contrast Real Housewives of Orange County star, Tamra Judge’s payday was $7,000. According to Business Insider, the signature Christian Louboutin pump starts at $695 and could go up to nearly $7,000. So it makes sense how Alexia and her co-stars could spend all of their coins on fashion.
However, Alexia says it “felt good” to buy herself the thing she wanted because she earned them. “I had the magazine and I would get paid through there, too .. but it’s different when you know that it’s 100% something you put work into,” she said.
Alexia’s first pair of red bottoms is also meaningful because her youngest son Frankie Rosello helped her pick them out. “I remember vividly putting them on,” she said. “And Frank was, like, ‘Mom, those shoes are great.’”
“Frankie always loved fashion,” Alexia added. “He lost that a little bit after the accident, but before … He was obsessed.”
Real Housewives of Miami Season 5 is currently airing its three-part reunion, and based on how part one ended, Alexia will be in the hot seat. She already spent time under fire for inappropriate comments about Russian women that rubbed Julia Lemigova incorrectly. From the look of the previews, she may have upset Guerdy Abraira and Lisa Hochstein, too. Be sure to stream every Thursday on Peacock.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED TO HEAR THE HOUSEWIVES DIDN’T GET PAID MUCH IN THEIR FIRST SEASON?
[Photo Credit: Aaron Davidson/Getty Images]
The post Alexia Nepola Reveals What She Bought With Her First Real Housewives Of Miami Paycheck appeared first on Reality Tea.
It's not about the pasta, but it is about the past. As Vanderpump Rules fans continue to watch (and brace for) the fallout from Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss' shocking affair—which led to the end...
We included these products chosen by Lala Kent because we think you'll like her picks at these prices. Lala is a paid spokesperson for the Amazon Influencer Program. E! has affiliate...Is it just me or is the Real Housewives of New Jersey starting to feel like a merry-go-round? I get that the show centers around Teresa Giudice and her never-ending drama with Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga. But at some point, the show starts being a repeat of itself. The latest episode of Season 13 centers all around Dolores Catania’s charity baseball game. It was a cute event, but it doesn’t make for the most riveting TV.
Yet again, Jennifer Aydin saves the day during this week’s episode. Jennifer is an expert at serving us entertainment one way or another on RHONJ. This episode forces her to get even more serious about her marriage with Bill Aydin and it’s pretty raw. Here are five of the main takeaways from the latest RHONJ episode “All Bats Are Off.”
Tre keeps pleasantly surprising me this season. Luis Ruelas really does have a namaste effect on her and I’m totally not hating it. She visits her therapist during the episode to talk about all of the drama with her brother. She discusses how her therapist helps her be a better communicator and control her outbursts — two qualities that Tre would greatly benefit from. Tre gets honest about Joey’s anger and how it scares her. Joe’s temper reminds Tre of the way her father would act when she was young. She unpacks a lot of issues from her childhood, including the fact that her parents never said “I love you” until she taught Gia Giudice to say it to them first. Tre is wrong so much, but you have to admit she’s trying, especially given all of the circumstances here.
It’s not to say that Tarzan and MelGo aren’t triggered by Tre either. Melissa spends what little airtime she has in this episode talking about Luis being manipulative. She believes that Luis made Tre make peace with Margaret Josephs so that Marge would stop digging up dirt about him. And, so what? It got them to stop fighting, unlike Marge and Jennifer Aydin. At the game, the Gorgas avoid Tre like the plague. Joe claims he wants to keep his distance to protect everyone’s sanity. “Teresa can switch from 0 to 100 instantly and then I just have to defend myself and then it becomes ugly,” Joe explains. Sure, if you want to explain these insane sibling fights in such simple terms, that’s correct. Tre’s therapist has the quote of the night by saying the two either need to stop the toxicity or Tre needs to move on. It’s eerie knowing what’s to come at Tre and Luis’ explosive wedding, but not surprising.
Marge’s motives this season just aren’t making sense. She’s calling Jennifer a “disheveled drug addict” one minute while playing the same recruitment games as her with the newbies the next. It’s weird how these two can’t just agree to be amicable acquaintances and would rather continue the fight. In one scene, Jennifer reads Marge like a book and it starts making sense to me. None of the other RHONJ stars stand up for Jennifer when she’s fighting with Marge. Jennifer believes it’s because they don’t want Marge digging up dirt on them like she did to Jennifer. It may be far-fetched, but we’ve seen Pigtails play in the mud like this before.
There’s also a lot of talk in this episode about Marge telling MelGo to date a ballplayer. First of all, we, as an audience, need more context as to why MelGo was struggling in her marriage so hard. Sure, we saw her and Joe fight, but nothing this extreme. Secondly, there seems to be more to the story than this harmless joke MelGo and Marge are trying to play off. Danielle Cabral also seems to think this scenario is fishy. She claims she wouldn’t be flattered if her friend told her to abandon her marriage to date an athlete. Danielle explains during her confessional that Marge is a puzzle to her that she has no interest in solving. She’s seen Marge play dirty, especially from the stories Tre and Jennifer have told her. Danielle is keeping her distance to protect herself, which might be smart considering the way Marge plays the Real Housewives game.
Frank Catania and Dolores continue to have their growing pains. Dolo’s ex just doesn’t want the terms of their relationship to change, even though she’s super serious with Paul Connell. Most of the people in Dolo’s circle, like her dad, agree that setting boundaries with Frank is good. However, her other friends seem to be living in the Dolo, and Frank, love fantasy.
Frank and Dolo come face-to-face at the game and MelGo brings up their issues. The Gorgas- always stirring up nonsense. Frank tells Dolo that he misses their close relationship and starts crying on the field. Dolo tries to explain that Paul’s feelings matter in the situation now so it’s natural to have some distance. In a confessional, she feels like Frank is making her feel guilty for being in a relationship that she deserves after all of these years. “Frank doesn’t like change, and not one thing in our life when we got divorced changed,” she adds. Team Dolo — live your life, girl. Frank has his new boo Brittany Mattessich to take up his time now. Dolo shouldn’t feel guilty for doing what she wants for once.
There is absolutely way too much time dedicated to actual sports being played in this episode. Sure, the game is a cute way to raise money for charity, but we don’t need a play-by-play of the entire game. I was tickled at watching Dolo say, “Let’s play ball!” and I could’ve been satisfied with this scene.
It was only funny to watch the game last year because Jennifer Aydin fell on her freshly manicured face. I don’t need to see the families make mediocre baseball plays — this is not the MLB network. PSA to Bravo — we don’t turn on this channel to watch sports. It’s cute in moderation, but this episode is just not giving as a result of too much low-stakes action.
Jennifer and Bill’s relationship has been on the rocks since Marge revealed the affair last season. During last week’s episode, Olivia Aydin heartbreakingly told Rachel Fuda that she wanted to be a “love therapist” to fix people’s relationships. Rachel breaks this news to Jennifer at the game, who has never heard her daughter say those words. Her face is just gut-wrenching to watch in real time. Jennifer’s a hopeless mom trying to protect her kids from the world and unfortunately, it’s a reality a lot of moms can probably relate to.
Jennifer and Bill end the episode by going to a therapist. Bill can’t help but give up his anti-therapy stance after hearing the news about Olivia. The therapist breaks down the cheating and the public fallout from it, and it’s extremely emotional. Jennifer gets real about feeling alone in her marriage and how she feels subordinate to her husband. “I need my partner to meet me halfway,” Jennifer cries. Again, it’s another sad reality so many people probably feel. The two plan on continuing couples’ therapy but if Jennifer doesn’t see changes, she’s ready to make some of her own. As she should.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE LATEST RHONJ EPISODE? DID YOU AGREE THAT THERE WERE WAY TOO MANY BASEBALL SHOTS? WILL JENNIFER AND BILL’S MARRIAGE SURVIVE?
[Photo Credit: Heidi Gutman/Bravo]
The post Real Housewives Of New Jersey Season 13 Episode 6 Recap: The Teresa Giudice Show Goes From MLB Network To Couples’ Therapy appeared first on Reality Tea.
