February 12, 2016 by Stephanie

Bachelor Thoughts of the Week

Here is what I thought about this week’s episode.

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I am torn on the Olivia issue. On one hand I do get her perspective that she isn’t there to make friends. She is there for Ben. But on the other hand, it does make you wonder how she is with people in real social settings.
Leah’s meltdown.Really? No words.

This week makes me want to go back to the Caribbean so bad.

I am so confused by Caila’s one on one. There has to be a lot they didn’t show.

Tom thought we should have them fight sharks to see if they are really committed.

SWIMMING PIGS!!! This is the best date ever.

Becca is my favorite this week. She is just real and honest.

Leah back talking Lauren B. is just sad and pathetic. Where did that come from? Why is she surprised she is going home? She is lying to everyone. Karma sister friend.

So Olivia is the first to say “I love you” if we don’t count the Spanish lesson. And then she was crushed….Watching her face go from elated to heartbroken is what this show is made of. I really feel for her though. She just looks devastated, and then to make her watch Emily get the rose. I mean they just left her to just stand there staring at the ocean….

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I liked Lauren H, but I think there were obvious other people for him. Maybe she will be on Paradise.

Hopefully Lauren B. can clear the air here soon. I really enjoy her.

Ok did anyone else catch that Emily said she just met Ben’s parents. So does that mean she is one of the final two? Isn’t that usually how meeting the Bachelor’s parents goes? She was not who I thought would be in the final two.

My picks after this week are Becca and JoJo in the final two, with Caila and Lauren next.

Do you watch the show? What are your thoughts?

January 16, 2015 by Stephanie

TV Review: The Bachelor

Anyone else obsessed with the Bachelor this season?

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This is probably the most excited I have been to watch a season since I started watching in high school. (Yes I have been watching this train wreck for more than a decade now.)

I don’t know if it is the connection I have with Iowa (Seriously y’all it is a gem of a place to live. I will always feel a smidge Iowanian even with my brief time as a resident. It is a wonderful place to live, and I miss it.) Also he did go to Iowa State, so he must be something special.

Or if my obsession is because I have fallen to their marketing ploys of the “most dramatic season ever.”

Either way I am hooked.

I follow several Bachelor(ette) monikers on Instagram because I need to know what is really happening in these people’s lives. Does that make me crazy? Who cares, because I like looking at Trista and Ryan’s gorgeous kids.

Back to this season for Prince Farming.

I do like that they are going to be staying in the US for most of the season. There is something about the extravaganza of the world-wide traveling that I haven’t always agreed with. Although traditionally you don’t see tractor races in LA, staying in the US in general seems more practical and realistic to me.

As for the women, I feel like there is a bigger emphasis on the drinking this season. I honestly don’t remember as many drunkards in past seasons. Get it together ladies. You can drink, but know when you start to get sloppy.

It is still too early in the game for me to have a clear favorite. I also feel like the women are so vastly different it is hard to say what his type is.

And he apparently believes in the idea of kissing a lot of frogs to find your princess mentality. Holy cow. I feel like he has already kissed all the women, and it is week two. Which I think was so surprising because of his disposition you just don’t think he is going to move that fast.

I don’t think that a lot of these women have accepted the fact that they will need to move to Iowa if they end up with Chris. There are a lot of comments made that make me wonder if they actually are paying attention to what Chris has said.

I think we all have skeletons or weird things about us. Fortunately for us we aren’t on national television. So I don’t want to judge right out whether someone is crazy or not, but I am concerned about Ashley S. They are not showing her best side, or if they are, then I am really concerned that the show is just taking advantage of her antics for ratings.

But I guess that is the point of the show…

I do always wonder though, if they [producers] encourage the Bachelor to pick certain people. Some of them you wonder how in the heck they make it through each week.

I heard an interview with Chris recently, and he does say he is in love but would not disclose if he was engaged or not. As a romantic, I am always hopeful that they find that love. But I also know these are not the most ideal or realistic situations to do so. In the decade of this show, I don’t think there are even 10 couples that have made it.

But those “rooming with my boyfriend’s 20 other girlfriends” antics are what keep me coming back every season. I love the drama!

Do you watch the Bachelor? Do you have a favorite for Chris?

January 17, 2014 by Stephanie

Friday Filter- TV Winter Premiere Reviews

They’re back! These are all shows that I did not review in the fall and just started in the past couple weeks.

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The Bachelor

Has anyone else been watching Juan-uary? I am loving this season so far. There have been two episodes so far, and the drama has already begun. There has been drunkenness, nudity, gimmicks, and ridiculousness. Juan Pablo is proabably one of my favorite bachelors though. He is so real, quirky, and super funny. I really admire how much he makes his daughter a priority in all his decisions. I am a hopeless romantic, so deep down I really want to have all these engagements work. However the realist in me knows that most do not. It can’t be easy falling in love in a group on these fantasy dream dates and then try to step back into the real world. I always wonder how many are actually going on the show to find love instead of the 15 minutes of fame. Tom thinks the show is stupid and gives false expecatations to women everywhere, but he still watches it with me so we can guess what dramatic thing will happen next. It is our guilty pleasure. I also really enjoy the added specials on Sunday nights too. It gives more details to the show, which obviously keep me more invested. I am really excited to watch Catherine and Sean’s wedding and then touching base with all the couples who have gotten married or are still together. Trista and Ryan are celebrating 10 years this year, and they were the first season I watched! So obviously I feel like I had something to do with their love story success.

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The Assets

This show is brilliant so far. We have watched two episodes of this ABC mini-series. It is about CIA intelligence officers during the Cold War era who are trying to save “assets” from being killed. The first show laid out that there is a traitor in Sandy’s office, and she has vowed to find out who this person is. It shows how she has to live a double life herself with the secrets of the CIA and going home to a doting husband and kids who don’t appreciate mom’s work. I don’t know much about the Cold War since most of the classes I took focused on early America and up to WWII. Tom’s history knowledge picks up right where I left off. So it has been really interesting to talk about the historical context of the show. It is a smart show but it does have some dark moments about what spies put on the line and how quickly some one can turn if offered the right price.

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Switched at Birth

This is just one of those teeny bop shows that I adore watching. Initially I started watching because one of the main characters debuted as Luke’s daughter on Gilmore Girls. I was intrigued at what she had grown up into. And come to find out that the show is based in Kansas City, so obviously I had to keep watching to see how they butcher my city, which they do on a pretty regular basis. I will forgive them though because they say it is Kansas, so they can just continue with the bad rep. For your education though, most of Kansas City is in MISSOURI. They show some of the skylines in the show which is really fun to point out (to myself). All in all, it is not a bad show. It is about two girls who were switched at birth at the hospital and did not know until they were in high school. The two families are from very different backgrounds: very affluent family with one and a single mother raising the other. One of the girls happens to be deaf as well, so you get to see exposure to that culture. I am not real familiar with sign language, but from some research I have done there are mixed reviews on how the show portrays the Deaf community. On the one hand, the show has hired several Deaf actors and started a conversation, but on the other hand what I gather from some critics is that some of the sign is not an accurate portrayal of the way of the real world. As with most TV shows, I think Hollywood does take some creative liberties with most cultures. I do feel that the show is innovative by at least talking about the experience that Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals have, but I would agree that the show would benefit from integrating more Deaf individuals into the behind the scenes process to make it more accurate. Even if they do not portray it perfectly, as someone who is hearing abled, I feel that it encourages folks to learn more about these individuals, what we unknowingly/knowingly do as hearing abled to halt progress, the significance of sign language, and the beautiful Deaf culture that has been created. I am interested to see where they continue to go with the show as the girls are in their final stretch of their senior year. They also don’t portray the military very accurately either in the show as one of the main characters is enlisted. So maybe they just need a panel of experts all around on their writing team (Kansas City, Deaf, Military…). I am also nervous that they are headed in a pour direction with alcohol and sex becoming more common on the show. However, I think it isn’t as dramatized as other teeny shows have made it. It just wasn’t a direction I was hoping for. I am still intrigued by the concept and am invested in the storyline. And unlike some other ABCFamily shows, the cast can actually act. This is a show that I would recommend if you were wanting a light drama with a different plot line than most mainstream shows.

And just for fun, this is currently our feel good song. Tom loves all things Ke$ha. Seriously, he knows all her lyrics, ALL of them. Any pop song that has my husband singing, I am for. So naturally, we are all about this newest dance jam. And a partnership with Pitbull just makes it all that better! Judge away, but I love this song (not so much the video). The tune is just so catchy! I have also gotten the dogs excited about this song. We dance away in the kitchen every afternoon when I get home! And it’s the kind of dance that you only do when you are alone-or for me just whenever. I let the music move me.

Have a wonderful weekend!