Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Bachelor: Which chocolate do you want to taste?

WE'RE BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER! I'm actually catching the Bachelor live this week, so unlike last week's post, this one will be complete with commercial commentary! So without further ado...

This week on the Bachelor...

8:00 PM - Hey, it's 8:00... let's get this show going...

Oh, there it is. Well, Selma and Leslie get one-on-one dates... and Robyn drops that pimptastic chocolate line on Sean.

And Tierra cranks up the drama. As annoying as she is, I guess I hope she stays.

Tierra says, "let's crank this up a notch!"


We begin the show with Chris breaking down the week for the ladies and ever so smoothly drops off the date card.

8:02 PM - 2 minutes... we went 2 minutes before seeing Sean shirtless....

Well dang... and 30 seconds later we have to have an UP SHOT of the man in his underwear? Nope, definitely wasn't feelin' that angle.



8:03 PM - Selma is first for the date card. She's very happy... but every other girl hangs her head in disappointment. Ugh, and we have Leslie in the confessional crying... again. Thank GOD she gets a date because I can't take anymore of her crying.

Apparently the other girls in the house think Selma is just a pretty face. Asha and I spent the next 10 seconds discussing if Selma's chest is enhanced or if she's just blessed. I dunno, you decide.

Blessed or enhanced?
8:05 PM - The date has moved to a private plane. Selma is very... comfortable in the plane. Lots of hand-holding, rubbing, etc. These ladies move fast.

8:06 PM - They've landed in the middle of the dessert. "He took the Iraqi to the dessert." <-- Those were her words, not mine.

[Commercial break]

8:09 PM - We're back on and I"m a little disappointed I didn't have anything to say about the commercials. Anyway, Selma is going on and on and on about being "petrified" being in the dessert. By the way, I really hope Sean doesn't take any of those black girls to the dessert. Selma thinks she doesn't do well in the heat... take some black folks out there and you'll see some "doesn't do well."

8:11 PM - Selma doesn't want to do the rock climbing. Oh, and she also HATES heights. I liked her better when she wasn't on camera as much.

8:12 PM - Do we have to hear her complain the entire time?

Haha, Sean's little go camera on his helmet has a great view of Selma's booty.

Oh, Selma is all of a sudden empowered! Apparently Sean gave her some adrenaline. Well, he gave her something because she just scooted right on up those rocks. Pretty impressive.

She is PROUD of herself. Almost too much. Am I hating right now? Because it's all kind of just annoying me. I should stop hating. That was pretty cool and she did very well climbing up the rock. Worst part about climbing up stuff is climbing back down though. Pretty much don't think about that part until it's time to leave.

[Commercial]

C'mon, where are the good commercials?

Do you guys watch Happy Endings? That's a good show and you should watch if you don't.

OH MY GOD!!! These ladies abusing laxative stuff on Dr. Oz... that lady was nasty skinny. I literally shuttered. Ugh, that was nasty.

8:18 PM - Ok, we're back, still in the dessert. Sean is driving again - apparently they didn't tell him that the only way to travel while on the Bachelor is by limo, helicopter and/or plane. Not by Rubicon Jeep.

So... they're finishing their date in some little... set up.

8:20 PM - Selma is digging deep, wants to know why Sean is single. I know why, cuz Emily didn't pick him. Didn't she watch the Bachelorette?

Where is Sairy at? I have something I want to say/ask her but, sorry guys, it's not for the blog, haha.

8:21 PM - Selma is Arabic and Muslim. Hmm... I wonder if she's working with Sergent Brody on Homeland... (such a good show)

If you don't watch this show, you should. Very intense.
Ha, kinda funny - Sean wants to kiss her so bad but, she ain't 'bout that kissin' all on TV stuff.

8:22 PM - "I don't need no chaperones..." gangsta Tierra. That was funny.

8:23 PM - Sean just got "blue balls" since he couldn't kiss Selma. Anyway, Selma's mom is not very happy about her being on this show. It's tough to go against cultural things. Makes me wonder if Selma has had previous boyfriends and if she kissed 'em.

8:25 PM - Blah, blah, blah... Selma gets a rose. So far this episode is boooooooooooooooooooooring.

Ugh, now they're playing some ballad. And again, Sean wishes he could kiss her. Ugh... just go to commercial...

Teaser before commercial break - I can't wait to see these girls doing some roller derby. And... ha... the one armed girl has to do it too? That just seems... not right.

[Commercial break]

Tax season... gotta get that done.

Ha, this Nutri-grain commercial with the vampires made me chuckle.

Does anyone think Jessica Alba is a good actress?

Ugh, I wanted to watch The Taste last week. Did anyone watch? Was it good?

8:30 PM - Yeeesss, we're back and we're immediately in the limo for the group date. I wonder if Sean picked all of these group dates. Lots of physical stuff.

Tierra is clearly ready to "throw some 'bows" though.
8:32 PM - So the ladies figure out they're doing some roller derby. I have to admit, roller derby... stuff seems... terrifying. It ain't my cup of tea.

8:33 PM - Amanda lied saying she's done roller derby before. Good move. A wise man one said, "You play to win the game." (Herm Edwards) It's one of my favorite quotes and very applicable.

Aahhhh maaaannn... gravity is KILLIN' these girls, haha. I don't care what anyone says, when someone falls, it's pretty funny.

Gravity: 1, Girls: 0

Gravity: 2, Girls: still 0

Awww, now I almost feel a lil' bit bad for laughing since they brought up Sarah trying to do this. Asha's called this - Sarah will get the rose because she's "face her fears".

8:36 PM - Sean and Sarah are now discussing this. She's teetering a lot, she might not do this.

Ok, she's going to try it. Do you think she's ever roller skated before?

Ok, well Amanda is killin' it during this practice.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, and then she fell and busted her chin. She must've gotten too cocky and karma tripped her. But seriously, why couldn't they show us this fall??? I needed to see that! This is already the second time ABC has conveniently cut away from the action.

Example 1) Tierra's "fall" down the stairs. You mean to tell me all the cameras in that house and not ONE caught that?!?

Example 2) The camera decides to record Sarah just standing there... and nothing else. And I know there's more than 1 camera there. The director is slackin'.

Anyway, Amanda is currently... half smiling... half wincing. I kept thinking she was going to laugh. She needs to go to the Tierra school of fake injuries. (I mean real injuries... Tierra was actually hurt last week when she sat down at the end of the stairs... I mean, when she fell down the stairs.)

Gravity: 3, Girls: yup, still 0... and a busted chin.

[Commercial break]

I think I say this every time I see a commercial for it, but Grey's Anatomy still comes on?! They haven't run out of extreme situations to make episodes about?

Psh, Duncan Donuts... they WISH they were as good as Krispy Kreme.

8:42 PM - We're back and Amanda is icing her chin. That thing is broken...  and now she has to go to the hospital. These girls are TERRIFIED right now. The one person who "knew" what she was doing busted her chin and has to go to the hospital. You can see it in their eyes, these girls are scared straight!

Ugh... and now Sean calls off the the roller derby. LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!

AMAZING, all of them can suddenly roller skate with ease! Man, I'm highly disappointed. I know Tierra was gonna do some head hunting. She was out for blood.

Just needed to show this again.

8:44 PM - Ha, that was kinda funny watching Sean cross the street with a line of women following him.

I wonder what I would've said/thought if I were stopped at the
light and saw this.
FINALLY, we're getting close to Tierra shaking things up. I think on this show, they should be required to show some high-drama moment from the resident crazy person just to keep us all interested.

[Commercial break]

All of these Disney movies are coming back out. You think once I have my kid(s) Disney is going to re-release Monster's Inc. or... Wreck It Ralph?

8:50 PM - We're back, time for some one-on-one time with the ladies.

Haha, everyone is asking if the day was a good day.

Hahahahaha - Tierra got complimented for doing well during the date. Lindsay then adds that Tierra should get into roller derby stuff after the show.

8:52 PM - Amanda's back! And she's admitted that she is going to milk the crap out of her new sympathy card. It didn't work as well as she'd hoped.

8:53 PM - Hahaha, Leslie FINALLY gets her one-on-one date... and Daniella is NOT happy about it.

Leslie finally gets out of the house.
Daniella is sporting her "WTF" face.

8:54 PM - Ha, Robyn left Tierra out when asking what happened earlier with Amanda. Did she do it on purpose? Probably. And I hope so. But Tierra's crazy is starting to peek out. She's going on and on... she doesn't trust any of the girls. She's now talking to one of the producers saying she wants to leave.

Haha... and now she's frantically looking around for Sean... and he's definitely making out with Lindsay at the moment.

Ohh, and here come the tears with Tierra.

(by the way... Sean and Lindsay have had like an hour together. They're about to change into bathing suits and get in the hot tub...)

Haha, how long was Tierra waiting outside of the room? Anyway, homegirl is breaking down. Sean has this look on his face like, "uhh... why are you crying... don't... cry... please?"

And with Sean's magic words... just like that... Tierra is no longer crazy. Sean has officially put the "Bachelor blinders" on. They all get a pair and they conveniently put them on when alone with the craziest girl.
This moment killed me! It was hilarious. SHE couldn't even hold back
that sly smile knowing she gave Sean an Oscar-worthy performance.
9:00 PM - And of course, Tierra gets the rose. He's so dumb.

Those ladies were in shock. But honestly... they should've seen this coming. Asha's is a little upset that she was wrong about her rose-pick. Once we saw the break down happening with Tierra though, we knew she was getting that rose.

That was entertaining.

[Commercial break]

Ok, this Best Buy commercial with the female employee that got to test a big flat screen tv - if Asha acted like that while watching football - yeah, we would NEVER watch sports together/we wouldn't be married.

9:06 PM - Ok, it's finally the next day and Leslie is "super, super, duper, duper excited."

She really thinks Sean actually gave her these earrings. Silly, Leslie.

Sean just breaks ALL the traveling rules. He's driving a nice, drop top sports car though. But still, he is a habitual rule breaker.

9:08 PM - So this date is all centered around the movie "Pretty Woman". She gets to go try on a bunch of dresses (and I guess she gets to keep one?) and Sean just... watches? (you know Selma is so jealous about this date) Yeah, this sounds like fun. Sean has CLEARLY never had a real girlfriend because umm, NO guy LIKES to go sit and wait while the lady is trying on clothes. Dumb.

AND she's trying on a bunch of ugly dresses. Take that big, stupid bow off of the dress!

9:10 PM - Sean... what are you doing?!?! You're not supposed to meet Mr. Neil Lane until the END when you've got it down to 2 ladies!! You don't break out jewelry on the first date. We all like making our lady happy, but bro... this is NOT how you do it.

Asha asked if I'd ever want to do that date. I told her if I'm the one playing Julia Roberts' role and I get to get all the clothes, then yeah, sure. You all may not know this, but I like to shop. I like my clothes. I like looking good. I DON'T like waiting around for somebody else to get clothes. That's boring.

[Commercial break]

9:17 PM - We're back on the date. Leslie makes um... some weird noises.

Is Sean ever going to NOT give someone a rose on a date? Could happen tonight.

Oh, we found out Leslie gets to keep the earrings. Everything else has to go back. Don't mess up anything!

9:18 PM - Leslie telling us a bit about her past. Apparently she's "the girl before the one". So unlucky.

This conversation isn't really going anywhere. They're repeating each other a lot... oh, until now when they started talking about divorce. Guess that's how you get the ball rollin'.

We're getting a voice over... Sean isn't feelin' Leslie that much.

9:21 PM - The girls back at the house are thinking Leslie ain't coming back.

And neither is Sean...

And neither is Jeremy...

And neither is Asha...

9:22 PM - Ok, let's see how Sean does this since he just picked up the rose...

He was pretty straight forward. He said it just didn't click. He basically said, "It's not you, it's me" but in a nicer way.

Leslie is sad. But she should be used to this right? I mean, she "dates" Sean and then he finds "the one."

This part is never really... fun. Ha, she couldn't get the necklace off...

Hmm, I'm a little surprised she wasn't crying in the limo. Didn't see that coming.

Haha, also didn't see this coming - Mr. Ben Taylor (?) wasted his time bringing his guitar. No concert for him to do now. This is just a recorded practice now.

9:25 PM - Leslie is bummed about about leaving. After she was so freakin' excited to go on the date. Oh well.

Haha, those girls jumped and nearly broke their necks watching the random guy take Leslie's suitcase. I wouldn't mind that guy's job. I'd toy with the ladies though... fake like I'm getting it... leave, come back... use the bathroom... just to watch them get all flustered.

9:26 PM - Dramatic drop of the rose at the end of the song. Nice touch.

[Commercial break]

I'm disappointed in these commercials tonight.

This is random, but I wish I could raise one eyebrow. I think there are so many situations that could use a good eyebrow raise.

Oh yeah, Seth McFarlane is hosting the Oscars this year. He's funny. Just might tune in for that.

9:30 PM - We're back. I... think they're dressed up for the rose ceremony. Yeah, they are. Before we get into this rose ceremony, I'd like to talk about Jackie. How is she still on the show? She must be saying all the right things during her one-on-one time because I see nothing.

9:32 PM - Ah man... we still have a lot of time left.

Ok, so Sean is clearly keeping Ashlee tonight.

Oh yeah, one-on-one time with Robyn now. Bring on the chocolate pick-up line...

Ah man... previews made that seem... better. It was much... goofier than I had hoped.

9:34 PM - Ha, Tierra walks through JUST as Desiree is talking about her. Girls are so bad at playing that off.

9:35 PM - Tierra is making a move to seem to be the bigger person trying to speak like adults... except she's making it all about herself and actually told Robyn it was "her bad" for how SHE felt Tierra was acting toward her. Yeah, I have to use that on someone.

Ah, that was so fake, even Pro Wrestlers were appalled.

Wrestling is fake?! WWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!
("WOOOOOOOO!" - Ric Flair)
[Commercial]

9:41 PM - OK, we're back and right after the little talk with Tierra, Robyn and Jackie immediately go and talk to the rest of the ladies.

I think... I wish they would just get an entire cast of girls like Tierra. Us guys fall for it every time. Pretty face and you tell us you like us... and it's a wrap.

This whole time Sean thinks he knows Tierra and he can read her. Boy is he stupid. He's just as bad as Ben.

9:44 PM - We finally get some Catherine time! A reassuring talk. They've reminded each other that they still like each other. I think she just wrapped up her rose for the night.

Dang, Catherine's got on some hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh heels. (you hav to say that in a high-pitched voice too)

Everyone thinks they have the perfect kiss with Sean. Either Sean's just that good... or Arie is the grand master of kissing.
(insert pic of Arie)

Ok, rose ceremony is coming up... after this commercial... ugh.

[Commercial break]

Ok, this K-Y commercial was kinda funny. Didn't know it was a K-Y commercial at first. That was funny.

9:52 PM - Let's get this rose ceremony started! (By the way, not much of Chris Harrison in tonight's episode)

Any bets on who's going home?????? All I got is Jackie... but she hasn't been on a date yet so it's hard to say.

Ugh, ugly Amanda is back.

Catherine gets the first rose (yeeeesssss) followed by Desiree.

Lindsay gets a rose. So far all predictable.

Lesley, Robyn and Ashlee all get a rose. Again, no surprises. Although, it's getting down to crunch time...

Sarah gets to stay. Didn't even have o do any roller derby crap.

Oooooo, Jackie got a rose.

Now I think Daniella is going home... but she hasn't had a date. She was clearly overlooked. Is he gonna send busted jaw home?

OOHH SNAP! Daniella DID get the final rose and Amanda is going home. Ha, and she was the only one. She shouldn't have looked like Flo' from the Progressive Insurance commercials (minus the hair) for the rose ceremony. First mistake.


9:58 PM - Back in the house and it's all smiles.

Next week on the bachelor...

AH CRAP! Did I just hear Chris say there are TWO episodes on TWO nights next week?!?! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! They're trying to kill me as SOON as football season is over.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oohh man, previews just showed Tierra running and... of course another moment with the paramedics. It's terrible I was laughing at her apparently freezing to death, but... it was funny. We'll see how accurate the previews are next week.

Well, I guess we'll get double the Tierra.

I was going to do some Power Rankings for this week but, the news of 2 episodes next week has me a little depressed. So next week, I promise there will be new rankings. Also, if I have to write 2 blogs next week, those suckers better get a lot of views!

That was an entertaining episode. Much better than last week.

Ok, friends, we've reached the end. Can't wait to double dip with Sean and the ladies next week!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Bachelor: Turnin' up the drama!

Ok, so first of all I'd like to apologize for yet another late posting. This was just a bad week for me to actually sit down and blog. Missed the live showing of this episode due to a cooking class/photo shoot with Ballantyne Magazine. Then Tuesday I worked at the Justin Bieber concert. Wednesday I was just tired from Tuesday night. Thursday night was busy so yeah, didn't get to watch this episode until the weekend. I'm surprised no one told me about this episode yet. Anyway, now I have to do some more speed blogging as Asha zips through commercials.

*stretching fingers*

Let's do this.

Tonight on the Bachelor...

Uh oh, I see some one-on-one dates and some drama on the group dates. Yeeaaaahhhh boooyyyyeeeeeee (you BETTER have said that like Flava Flav)

Oh, so this is the episode where drama queen Tierra goes off in a neck brace. Can we fast forward to that?

Ha... we open yet another episode with a shirtless Sean workin' out. Are we going to start every episode like that? Do the women even care anymore?

Ok, Chris Harrison breakin' down the week to the ladies. And now one of those girls is reading the card. Oh, that's Selma.

Haha, Selma played Leslie. Had her hanging in anticipation and it was Lesley..... M.

Oh, we cut straight to Sean and Lesley in the limo. We didn't even get to see Sean come in and say hi to everyone.

We start the date off in Hollywood. I don't think Sean really knew what to say there, seemed awkward. And speaking of awkward, they're at the Guinness Book of World Records... place. Some freaky stuff in there.

Oh wow, his dad holds a Guinness World Record for basically driving the fastest throughout the country. Ha... and Sean didn't get to go.

This is one thing I don't like about Guinness World Records - a lot of them are just stupid. I don't care about the longest on-screen kiss. Does anyone?

Whoa, who let that creepy guy behind Chris in the crowd?

This picture is hilarious:
1. Creepy guy over Chris' shoulder is just... creepy.
2. Chris is looking a bit creepy himself.
3. Lady on the right is TOTALLY judging Chris. 
"I've been in those people's shoes," said Asha. Makes me wonder how long they all waited for them to come out there.

[Commercial time.. but we're zippin' through thanks to DVR. Such a wonderful thing.]

Ok, we're back and it's time to watch them kiss for a long time.

3:15 is the record. I'm positive I've had longer make-out sessions than that. All I had to do was record it and I coulda been a legend!

I bet that's pretty awkward having a ton of people watch you kiss for 3 minutes. Chris Harrison seems pretty excited about this too.

"Oh, she's grabbing the hair. She's taking notes from Arie," said Asha. #FACT

Are we really going to watch this for the entire time?

Oh snap... I think we are.

Things I'm noticing:
1. They're keeping their eyes closed the entire time. Not sure if I could/would.
2. Lesley seems like she's trying to make this nice with all the hair grabbing and rubbing his neck and what not.
3. Sean wants to grab her booty SO badly. He's right at her "Mason Dixon line": High enough to still be a gentleman and respectful (north side), but low enough to let her know how he really feels (dirty south).
4. Do you think this is the highest achievement in their lives? I mean... it IS a record.

[Commercial... fast forwarding...]

Ok, back to the date and we find Sean and Lesley on a rooftop date.

So Lesley was a nerd in school. Ok, let's make this clear - taking AP classes and studying a lot does NOT make you a nerd. It makes you smart.

I guess if I had to actually analyze their relationship: despite Lesley being nervous around Sean and the occasional awkward pauses, they actually seem very comfortable around each other.

Lesley "took control" and they made out for a bit. Does that get added on to their on-screen kiss?

Ok, we're back at the house and it seems like whoever has the confessional shown saying, "I really want a one-on-one date..." never gets the one-on-one date at that time.

"I'm glad I'm not on the group date because... it's probably something with activity and I'd rather have a romantic time with him." - Ashlee

HA! She doesn't want to do any "activity". That made me laugh.

I'm excited for this group date. We've got some All-stars on it. It's full of the higher ranked ladies from the previous power rankings.

Uhh... who shot off the confetti on the date?

HAPPY NEW YEEEAAAARRR!! Oh... it's just a date?


Anyway, like I said, I'm ready for this volleyball group date. This has potential to be awesome. Like I said, it's full of some of the power players AND there's some competition. I'm just giddy with anticipation!

[Fast forwarding...]

We're back and on the beach!

So after some playing on the beach... Chris Harrison LITERALLY appears out of NO WHERE to start this group competition. He literally just... appeared. That man is magical.

Breakdown: they're getting split into 2 teams to play, winners gets to stay with Sean, losers go back to the mansion. Let the games begin!

Usually I'm all for attractive women in bathing suits running and jumping around on
the beach. However, this match was just... so... bad.

Ok, just eye balling it - blue team looks more athletic. But uh... you never know. Plus, for some reason, red seems to always beat blue and we all know blue is the better color. So yeah, I'm pulling for team BLUE!

Ha... this might be the worst edited volleyball match I've ever seen. Volleyball isn't easy, but they're just giving a great example of how good Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are.

Whoa, Taryn's getting a lot of air time. This is like the most I've ever seen her talk. Clearly, this volleyball match means a lot to her.

It's come down to the very end (of course). A short volley and... blue team actually won. Ha, the red team is PIIIISSSSSEED. Haha, Sean has to say his goodbyes to the losers. He's missing out on the champagne poppin' on the blue side! (P.S. - I should've placed a bet on blue winning.)

Hahaha, they had to watch them celebrate. That hurts. Man.. they're all crying. Like... man, they took this hard.

[Fast forward so we can get back to the winners' date!]

Ok, we're back at "Sean's house". Like I said, lots of power players on that group date. Half of them are now back at the mansion and the drama level is HIGH. So many tears. Even Ray Lewis thinks they're crying too much.
There goes Ray crying again.

He has been crying so much lately, it's been ridiculous.
But he'd totally fit in with these girls.

Lindsay said when she falls in love (hmmm, she used the plural there...) she falls "head-over-heels" for them and gives them everything. That... I have mixed feelings about that. Kinda screams "clingy" to me.

Sean is really starting to make his rounds lip locking with the ladies.  Whole house is gonna get mono.

Back at the house and the drama begins! Tierra adds Selma to Ashlee's date card and... she's not on it. I laughed, however, I'm not on this show. Ashlee, Selma and one arm girl did NOT find it very humorous. Just 1 more reason to hate Tierra.

Back on the date and the tension is building between Desiree and Amanda. Desiree is a lil' tired of Amanda's switch-a-roo act. And now Kacie B. feels it's her duty to tell Sean about it and hopefully look like the good guy in all this.

Her nose is all kinds of dirty after rubbing it in other people's business.

"Why are you saying something to me?" asked Sean.

Kacie did NOT see that coming from Sean. Uh oh, she's starting to just... talk. This is starting to crumble a lil' bit. She's saying their tension is messing with her... and she's involved with it for... no reason. Haha... Sean is so... confused. Haha, and just said she's acting like a crazy person. Ahh, that was funny.

Ya'know, Kacie B. seems way more annoying this time around than on Ben's season. She seemed cute and nice  and all that good stuff and just had difficult parents. Now she's just coming off as kind of... annoying.

...and she's crying in the confessional. Ugh... she's reaching the point with me where basically everything she does kind of annoys me.

Man, they keep teasing me with this dramatic fall Tierra takes. I want to just see it already!

[Commercial]

Ugh, fast forwarding and notice we're only half-way through this sucker.

Ok, we're back and now we're going to learn more about Ashlee. Not sure how excited I am about that. She just seems kind of... eh. Not sure how deep her pool is.

HAHAHAHAHAHA.... they didnt' even show Tierra fall, just the sound effects. I guess I hope she's OK, but... hahahahaha, that was funny.

Ok, let the drama begin. (By the way, I LOVE the fact that none of the cameramen felt the need to help. "Just keep rollin.")

So the ambulance comes, Tierra is now in the neck brace. Is she faking? Is she serious? I guess we'll never REALLY know, but we can guess. She did suddenly uh... not feel anything and just popped right up. And holding up Ashlee's date. Perfectly executed evil plan? Or an uncanny coincidence? I'll let you decide.

(She was totally playing that up. Tried to "Catfish" us. Shout out to Manti Te'o.)

[Commercial...]

We're back. They rolled up in a Jeep. I now have one of those.

Oh dang, they have Six Flags to themselves. Is that actually fun though? I mean, I like seeing some of the characters the come to theme parks.

Oh, ok now they're doing charity stuff and bringing along 2 girls with mitochondrial disease. Sean is interested to see how Ashlee reacts with the 2 girls. Honestly, does he think she's going to be rude? Would she openly just be evil? Of course not. But my goodness would it be terrible if she were.

Haha, that pendulum ship ride... I love that ride but it scares me, haha.

That would be pretty cool to be in a theme park and ride everything with no line... but to also play all the games and do everything for FREE?! That's the best part, haha.

Last surprise of the day: a private concert by Sean's favorite band - The Eli Young Band.

...yeah, I don't know them. But apparently they all do.

That was nice they did all that for those girls. Good stuff.

[Commercial]

Ok, we're back and now Sean and Ashlee are actually having some alone time. Hey - they didn't change clothes. After a day at Six Flags too... I bet they smell.

...Oops... I totally zoned out. I'm sure all of that about her past and growing up and what not was very heartfelt (oh, and it even made Sean cry) but... it was kind of boring. Couldn't hold my attention, however, it worked for Sean and she got a rose!

Oh, and an encore from the Eli Young Band.

These girls are falling hard for Mr. Sean... fast.

[Commercial]

Finally back at the mansion and it's rose ceremony night! I always compare the rose ceremony portion of the episode to the 4th quarter of a game. It's the last time for you play hard and finish the game. That and... it's almost over.

Aww, they arranged for her dog, Leo, to visit. I'd probably want to see Apollo.

Time to make the rounds for one-on-one time. Tierra thinks she's the ONLY person that gets interrupted during one-on-one time. Typical. But I like it cuz it's getting feisty up in there. Cuz yeah... the other ladies see she's talking with him again - let the games begin!

Everyone is bold tonight and interrupting every one-on-one time.

hahahaha, Desiree was still sitting there... alone. Looking lame.

We finally get to alone time with Kacie B. Quick question - where does she shop? That dress looks a bit... hmm... what word am I looking for here? I'll let you fill in the blank:

"I think Kacie B's dress is ________________. "


Haha, and not only does Kacie's time get interrupted... it got interrupted by TWO ladies. #DoubleTeam

Ahh, that was entertaining. Everyone's on edge. I have zero guesses on who's going home this week. So I'm actually interested to see who gets cut.

[Fast forwarding...]

Ok, rose time. First rose goes to...

Lots of heavy breathing from Sean... and he stalls... and now he has to privately talk to Kacie... The ladies are confused by this.

Haha... and there it is. Kacie B gets cut on national TV... again. Any bets on if she somehow makes her way on the next Bachelor as a contestant? It's hilarious her first go round she left due to family. This time it was all her fault.

Now Sean is explaining what just happened. I know those girls all want to have a huge smile on their face... but they have to look concerned.

Ok, first rose now goes to Tierra. (Bet they all loved that.)

Leslie H. gets a rose. I guess I'm surprised because she doesn't get shown doing much.

Catherine (my preseason favorite) gets a rose. *Rasie the roof*

Ok... still handing out roses... blah, blah, blah... are we going to have any upsets this week?!

Daniella, Robyn, Selma all get a rose. (Selma another one that I don't know what she's doing to get a rose.)

Sarah, Jackie, Amanda are next to get roses. There's only 1 left... and oh snap, we're going to have an upset! Taryn, model girl Kristy with all the teeth, and Desiree are all left without a rose. At least 3 of them all really expected to go further than this. This is like watching a last second shot. The final rose goes to...

DESIREE AT THE BUZZER!!

If this were an NCAA basketball tournament, that would've been the high see Desiree squeaking out a close game.

And now we have to say our goodbyes to Taryn, and Kristy... and all of her teeth.

Previews for next week! Some folks finally got a one-on-one date. Ooo, and we get some physical group date. OOOOO, and some more acting drama from Tierra. This week's episode had it's moments, but overall it didn't do that much for me. Felt like I didn't get enough to do some proper power rankings. Maybe next time. Anyway, next week looks like there's an increase in the drama department. Should be  good for blogging next week!

Friday, January 25, 2013

19,086 Steps (NYC Day Four)


Jeremy had his Nike Fuel Band, Asha was on a Jason Mraz high and frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3 was on the agenda. It was bound to be a good day. The previous morning, Sianneth pointed out a donut shop (Doughnut Plant) that she visits on a semi-regular basis. The doughnuts stuck in our minds and our stomachs were talking to us so we decided to start out our day with a sugar rush!

We're pretty glad that Doughnut Plant is only located in NYC. That place was dangerous. Dangerous with their Tres Leches, Créme Brulee, and  Peanut Butter & Blackberry Jam filled doughnuts. I mean COME ON...it was hard to stay away. We loved their vibe inside the shop. It was filled with circular doughnut pillows mounted on the wall & unique coffee, tea and milk options to choose from. We spoiled ourselves with two doughnuts each as it was too hard to pick just one.

Rows and rows of doughnut pillows decorated the wall

3 of the 4 doughnuts our stomachs gladly accepted!

With delicious doughnuts in our bellies, it was time to get to walking. We were headed toward Rockefeller Center to pick up our Rockettes tickets but the sight of Macy's stopped Asha in her tracks. We went in and toured what seemed like never-ending floors of clothing, shoes and appliances. We would have gladly gone to see Santa, but it would have been a little awkward without a kid :)



As we left Macy's, we got back on track to our mission, the  Rockettes Christmas Spectacular show tickets! On our way to Rockefeller center, we passed by Project Runways famous Parsons: The New School for Design, ginormous Christmas lights and ornaments on display, and we toured NBC Studios for a bit. Oh and we stopped and marveled at the Rockefeller tree one more time. Before we knew it,  it was nearing showtime and we headed to the famous, Radio City Music Hall to see the 85th Rockettes Celebration!

Seen on just about every episode of Project Runway!




Hanging out with the Today Show gang!



Wow. Radio City Music Hall was seriously breathtaking. The restrooms were even worth a mention as they featured HUGE waiting rooms with couches and mirrors galore! Amazing chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the Christmas spirit was in the air as hundreds of people bought popcorn and goodies to see the show. We were ushered to our seats and were very happy with the view. We're pretty sure there's not a bad spot in the house! It felt amazing to actually be in the Hall whereas our last visit to New York, we were outsiders looking in. With our 3-D glasses in hand, we awaited the popular Christmas tradition performance of the Rockettes!


The show was great and our feet thanked us as they begged for a much-needed rest.  We were in awe of the stage as it was HUGE. For crying out loud, they had an ice skating feature...and live animals at one point! The show kept our attention with 3-D animation, the precise steps of the Rockettes and Santa making an appearance here and there. It was a great experience and glad that we got to attend!


Dinner time was approaching and it was time to put our walking shoes back on. On our way to Serendipity 3, where Asha was itching to try their famous frozen hot chocolate, we came across the LOVE statue. We snapped a few photos in front of it and were on our way.




It was a little further walk than anticipated but we were racking up those Nike Fuel Band points! We were pretty sure Jeremy had already met his goal by then due to all of the walking before that. We finally arrived at Serendipity 3 and were glad to hear that the wait wasn't terribly long. During the wait, they had plenty of gadgets to look at and explore in the little aisle that they called the waiting area. Serendipity 3 is a unique little place and definitely has a look and feel all of it's own.  We were finally seated and Asha ordered her frozen hot chocolate she had been looking forward to for the entire month of December. After scanning the 2 foot menu, we ordered and awaited our delicious feast!



An hour later, we were stuffed with some goooooooooooooood food. Wow. If you ever get a chance to visit this place, GO! Their dessert menu was amazing and their New York Cheesecake.....WOW.

It was then time to try ice skating one more time. We decided on a place to meet Sianneth and we were on our way! Maps can be deceiving because where we were and where we needed to get to didn't seem like that bad of a walk. However while walking, Asha seriously didn't think she was going to make it. The break down started mid-way to Central Park but Jeremy kept trucking and Asha kept following. Central Park was in sight and we decided to give Sianneth a call to see her where-abouts. Asha pulled out her phone and what do ya know...her phone died. Out of nowhere! She had at least 30% back at the restaurant! Jeremy had a mere 8% left and gave Sianneth a call and found out she wasn't meeting us after all since she wasn't feeling well. Bummer. Asha wanted to let out a little cry. Her feet and back were throbbing (she didn't wear the best walking shoes) and the thought of ice skating and being on her feet even longer were making her pout like no other. But she was determined. Determined to go ice skating in Central Park.


The rink had just opened the moment we got there so we pretty much had the place to ourselves for a while. Jeremy opted to sit out and be the photographer while Asha glided across the ice and perked up as she was finally happy to be officially ice skating in Central Park. There were no falls and it turns out ice skating feels much better than walking. Until it came time to leave and put shoes on again. Since we were over 100 blocks away from our destination (WE WALKED OVER 100 BLOCKS THAT DAY), we were A-OK with riding the subway back.




As you know, we hadn't had much luck with the subway the entire trip. Plus we had not one, but TWO dead iPhones. It was determined to be a disaster, right?

This was the one time we actually got it right thanks to a very nice man who helped us along the way! Once we got to Sianneth and Jason's, we happily plopped down on the couch and saw, thanks to Nike Fuel Band, that we had taken 19,086 steps. Crazy. We're pretty sure Asha had close to double the steps since she takes 2 strides for Jeremy's 1.

What a day! Sleep came easy that night to say the least. One more day to go (and a celebrity sighting) will be coming up next!






Thursday, January 17, 2013

Live the Dream in 2013 (NYC Day Three)



That Monday was the big day! (For Asha at least). Jason Mraz was in the city performing that night at the famous Madison Square Garden. We had a lot of time to kill until then so why not start with a New York bagel?

Sianneth took us to her neighborhood bagel shop, Murray's, and we were instructed NOT to ask them to toast our bagels. Apparently they just don't toast bagels in the city. It's offensive or something like that. We shrugged our shoulders and obeyed orders. Of course then we noticed that while we were in line, a customer asked for their bagel to be toasted. The employees just shook their head and laughed, saying that they did no such thing.

Despite no toasting of bagels, Asha had a delicious Everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese piled high with enough to spare for at least two bagels. Jeremy found something similar to a Bojangles order of a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. This time it was on a bagel and he loved it just as much! We could then cross "devour a New York bagel" off our list!



With the day pretty wide open, we decided to do a little shopping around Union Square which was featuring a Holiday Market at the time. On our way over we passed by the Flatiron Building which was once, long ago, one of the tallest buildings in the city.


Once we got to Union Square, we walked through at least 100 booths looking for some unique gifts to bring back to family and friends. We wound up finding something perfect for our nephew, Keegan, and  a Christmas ornament for our tree. We try to grab an ornament on any trip we take so we have those memories on our tree for years to come!



Happy with our purchases, we left the Holiday Market and started back home for a much needed nap. On our walk back, however, we came upon a Nike store, and that always deserves a pit stop in the Singleton household. Jeremy left Nike with a BIG smile on his face because he was now a proud owner of his beloved Nike Fuel Band. He had been eying those suckers for at least a year and felt it was the perfect Christmas present for himself.

I wanted those shoes too - Jeremy

With the fuel band on in full force, we were now determined to meet his fuel band points for the day.

(Jeremy: Basically, you set a daily goal on your Nike Fuel Band and throughout each day, you gain "Fuel Points" through all of your movement - exercise, walking, flapping like a bird, tap dancing - as long as you're moving, you get points! It's a great way to make sure your desk job doesn't completely stop you from some sort of movement throughout your day. And I love it.)

Since Sianneth had 4 extra hands to help with groceries, we stopped by Trader Joe's to help her pick up a few things for the week. You guys... this Trader Joe's was INSANE. We have never seen a Trader Joe's this busy in our entire life. While we were there, the check-out lines wrapped around THE ENTIRE STORE. They even had employees hold signs saying where the beginning, middle and end of the lines were! It boggled our southern minds. Don't get us wrong, it was super efficient, and the line moved quickly...we had just never seen anything like that in a grocery store!


We felt like true New Yorkers walking through the street, carrying groceries. We're positive we didn't look like tourists then! But that's beside the point :)

We got back to Sianneth's place and rested up for Madison Garden later that night. Because Asha was super anxious, we headed to the Garden SUPER early. We grabbed some of New York's BEST pizza in town (no really, it said so on the window!) then stepped into one of the busiest music arenas in the world. Asha finally got her hands on the tickets she had been waiting for and exhaled a sigh of relief when they were physically hers to hold. (A little dramatic, but true). Since we were there way too early (oops), we stood in line for the gate to open. While we were waiting, we caught a glimpse of Mona, Jason's percussionist for the tour and Jeremy's new crush, talking to her family and giving them passes of some sort. After what felt like an eternity, security finally unlocked the gates and the crowd flooded in. We followed the majority at first but then realized that we actually needed to go DOWN a level. We were pointed in the direction of the elevator and felt pretty VIP riding down to the floor level and passing through the historic hallways.


We were lead to our seats by a security officer and happily sat in the fourth row thanks to the RKOP (the Jason Mraz Team)! We overheard similar stories from other fans about the RKOP contacting them into getting their awesome seats as well. We sat back, smiles on our faces, soaking it all in and waiting for the opener, who we honestly, at the time, weren't TOO excited to see.

Ready for Jason Mraz at Madison Square Garden!

Jason Mraz made a brief appearance (like he always does) to introduce the opening act, Fitz and the Tantrums, to the audience. As we said before, we weren't too excited to hear them but they definitely changed our minds. The soulful/indie, upbeat band had us out of our seats and dancing in no time, and well, we now own their entire album. It's safe to say they won us over.

The next 2.5 hours, Asha was off in la-la land as her favorite performer of the past ten years, took the stage. She was ecstatic that he started off the show with "Everything is Sound", a song she had wanted to hear live back in Charlotte. It's like he knew or something! (ha). Jason played old songs and new as he was very humble and grateful to have come so far as an artist and play at such a memorable venue. The crowd was alive and loud as Jason suggested to "Live the dream in 2013" while he played his music on the last stop of the U.S. tour.  Jeremy admitted after seeing the show and seeing how many pictures he "accidentally" took of Mona, that he had a crush on her. Asha doesn't blame him because she's pretty sure she has a crush on her too.







The big surprise of the night was having Colbie Caillet come on stage and sing "Lucky" with Jason Mraz. It's not often that you get to see the actual featured artists sing their hit track together. From where our seats were, we could see her exit the stage and hang out a bit before she went backstage. It was actually pretty cool to see her stay and watch Jason perform a few more songs.



Before the show, we got word that once Jason Mraz started performing, "Plane", to record footage using the app, Vyclone. Vyclone then takes all of the videos being recorded around the same time and area and merges it into one. Pretty cool, huh? We, of course participated, and this is what came about:

The night was pretty special and we (that means Asha) didn't want to leave the Garden. Once we made it through the mob of people and into the cool, crisp streets, we figured it was a good time for dessert. We stopped at a bakery in the neighborhood we were staying in and discussed the great trip we were having thus far over some delicious cheesecake!


Stick around for our last full day in the city! Asha has her second breakdown in Central Park...