Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all nursed your veteran-earned hangovers nicely on your day off. I know I did! ("Bridesmaids"...go see it!) My liver is slowly expanding back to its pre-weekend functionality, although I'm imbibing a little vino to deal with this show at the moment. So here goes...

Episode two and we're already in Vegas? Travel budget is back, baby! I mean, it's just dirty Vegas, but this could mean good things for our worldly travels this season. So yay for that. Boo for dead family members :( But I'll get to that.

Tonight we have three dates: two one-on-ones; and one group date (and by group, I mean 12-on-one). Ouch. But first...BAM!



Yup, don't worry about it. One of my minions snapped this bad boy of Ben C. in New Orleans this weekend. What does this mean? Not sure, besides the fact that he has a rockin' bod and he's groping pool bodies over a holiday weekend without Ashley. Did he get the boot?

Back to the show, the first one-on-one goes to William, the cell phone salesman from Ohio. Ashley picks him up in her (ABC's) Maserati. Glad to see nothing's changed, what with contestants driving impossible-to-own cars and acting like it's normal. Continuing on the "nothing's changed" theme, the lovers are whisked away on a private jet to Vegas where the date starts off rather oddly. Like a cake tasting followed by choosing rings followed by a mock wedding in which William actually says "I do." Poor guy. It's like "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Seconds," but she didn't lose him, and William played along. Luckily, the date turns around quickly as the lovers have a private dinner in the middle of the fountain lake at the Bellagio. Most of you are thinking, "Oh, how romantic!" I'm thinking, "What if he had to pee during dinner?" At dinner on the water, Ashley finds out about William's passed away alcoholic dad and the fact he didn't go to college. Clearly, I'm concerned about the lack of a degree, but she was unfazed. She was also touched by his honesty about his dad, which was made more poignant about the fact that he wears a watch eternally set to the time of Dad's death. But enough about that...William is certifiably cute and his dimples don't lie. She fully likes him and admits he's a frontrunner. Clearly he gets a rose. Go Midwest! But not if you're an Ohio State fan (an Ohio State fan with a crooked coach).

Date two is the dreaded 12-on-one. Constantine, Ryan M., Chris, Ben F., Nick, Bentley, West, Lucas, Stephen, Blake, Matt and Ames head to Vegas and are immediately thrown in the fire. They meet Jabberwocky, the "nation's best dance troupe," and are split into two teams to compete for more time with Ashley and a chance to star in that night's performance. The teams--The Best Men and No Rhythm Nation--go head to head in poorly-self-choreographed dances. No Rhythm Nation win the competition and the Best Men are sent home. Nothing like an eight-hour trip to Vegas (although I'm sure there have been many shorter and more tragic trips in Vegas's illustrious history...I'm sure Britney's met and married someone there in fewer hours than it took these dudes to lose a dance contest). So the six winners get to stay a few more hours, and a few of the guys take advantage of the time. West tells her about his deceased wife, Bentley pretends that he likes her, and Blake ensures she knows that he's a Type A dentist. More on Bentley: is this guy the next (and worse) Wes? He just might be. Especially after he drops these gems: "I'd like her t*ts on my chest," and "She's not my type," and "Can we bag this and go play blackjack?" (after he got the rose!). He also essentially had her eating out of his hands and begging him to stay on the show even though he has a daughter. Eww...hated him. But yeah, he gets the rose. And he acts like this on camera with a daughter at home?

The next one-on-one is decided by a coin toss. Seeing as this show is full of platitudes, we had to play in a Vegas-themed date in...Vegas. On one side of the coin is Mickey, the pretty Chef from Ohio; on the other side is J.P. the construction guy from New York. Mickey wins the toss and heads to Vegas for a coin-filled date. Like every detail is decided by a coin toss, even the rose. Overall, the date was pretty uneventful. I think he might be secretly (or obviously) boring. But, again, he has a dead family member (Mom), so there was a touching moment in the date. The date ends with a private "beachside" concert by Colbie Caillat, he gets a rose (via coin toss) and it's over after a kiss.

At the rose ceremony, the boys are hungry for some attention. First off is J.P., who cutely tosses a coin to get a kiss, and he wins. He's actually cute and funny and maybe normal, so we like him. A few more highlights: The Masked Dude (do we even know his name?) almost takes off his mask before being interrupted; William annoys the other guys by gloating; and Bentley makes us hate him even more by making Ashley look stupid and just staying around to make out with her fully knowing he's not attracted to her and doesn't want to stay around, but will do so regardless, just for the sake of competition. I honestly feel bad for Ashley for what's coming, but you can't say she wasn't warned. I mean, who believes that a guy is a good guy after being blatantly told that he's on the show for the wrong reasons? In addition, how does the casting team sleep at night? And why do we watch this show?

So, roses go to:
1) William
2) Bentley
3) Mickey
4) West
5) Constantine
6) Ryan P.
7) Ben C. (see pool pic above)
8) Nick
9) Ames
10) Lucas
11) Jeff
12) J.P.
13) Chris
14) Ben F.
15) Blake

Byeee: Stephen; Matt; Ryan M. Too early in the season for us to care about you. Sorry.

Awards:
1) Best quote: "I'd like her t*ts on my chest." -Bently (the one with a daughter at home, in case you'd forgotten)
2) Villain: Bentley
3) Cute but Boring: Mickey
4) Most dead relatives: this season.
5) Frontrunner: William

Until next week,
Mike

And we're off

Lovers, Frenemies, Former Lovers and Friends,

And we're off. The Bachelorette Season 82 has begun, and it started with a bang. By bang, I mean Ashley's bangin' new bod, new hair, new nose, and new dance moves. Hit me baby one more time? Yes, please. Who knew four months off TV could do so much? In the day and age of The Biggest Loser, we all knew it was possible...but it's still fun to poke fun at Ashley's endless repertoire of midriffs and belly shirts. Amazing. She's definitely in the running for America's Hottest Dental Student. And she's running against no one.

But on to the meat. The 25 bachelors arrive one by one, but not before the montage of the eight guys who are bound to be contenders for the final rose: Ryan P.; JP; Ames; Ben C.; Ben F; Bentley; West; and William. Talk about a season of drama. Among these eight guys, we have two dead dads, a dead wife, two douche bags, a daughter named Cozy, and a wristwatch eternally set to the time of a dad's death. Awesome. Count me in! In addition, count me in for my first season blogged from my new home, Austin, TX. Don't worry...they still have wine here, so I'll be happily fueled. I'm also happily surrounded by some witty fools and our watching parties are in full swing! Yay for Texas (and wine)!

In Ashley's first sit down with Chris Harrison, she confesses that she hopes she doesn't let the guys down (even though she's no longer insecure). Sure Ashley, keep telling yourself that. Ashley also tells Chris that she was called the week prior to taping and told by an anonymous source (i.e. a friend of Bentley's ex-wife's) that Bentley is not on the show for the right reasons. Amazing. He's also the father of the previously-mentioned Cozy, so we're not sure if he's ever thinking coherently. But time will tell...and due to poor editing, it looks like we're in for an awful lot of time with Bentley on the show. Way to go, ABC.

But back to the arrival of the 25 dudes. Without mentioning all 25 dudes by name, I'll try to cover some highlights (and lowlights).
-Ryan P. arrives and he's cute.
-Mickey goes in for a kiss upon meeting Ashley, only to be fully rebuffed and embarrassed.
-Stephen, this year's gay, is a hair stylist. Unfortunately his hair speaks otherwise.
-West, one of this year's guys with a death in his past, gives her a compass eternally aimed west. Barf. (Dead wife.)
-Ben F. (Dead dad) Great arrival with a bottle of his own wine. He's a "wine maker." And also an online marketer. And also a student. And also Josh Groban's doppelganger. Dude's got a lot going on.
-Anthony, the epitome of a Jersey guido is just that. He's also a butcher. Even better.
-Matt, the paper salesman, will be hereafter known as "Dunder Mifflin." I love the word hereafter.
-Jeff is wearing a mask. Enough said.
-Mike is dressed like Pee Wee.
-Chris, complete with frosted tips and pinstripes, is from Canada and he's got an accent to match. Did someone forget to tell him his country isn't real?
-Nick, the Matthew McConaughey look-alike, is from Trampa. Because we always need a contender from Tampa.
-Blake is a dentist.

So after the boys are introduced, and Ashley changes her wet dress (after standing on the hosed-down driveway for three hours), we get to really meet the guys. Ben C. pulls a "Love Actually" and woos Ashely with cue cards and a foreign pedigree. William, while cute, wears a virtually iridescent shirt. He also has an alcoholic dead dad, so we'll pretend we're okay that he bought his shirt on the sale rack at TJ Maxx in Columbus, OH. Ashley tells JP she's always wanted to be called "Cupcake" (and we all vomit on cue). Bentley fully evades the blatant bait from Ashley giving him the opportunity to confess that he's there for the wrong reasons. Like anyone would...but still. And finally, Tim, the liquor distributor from Long Island, essentially blacks out after drinking all the liquor distributed at the event. Yikes...and the guy is 35. It's time to pull it together, buddy. So Ashley sends him home. Is he perhaps the drunkest contestant ever? Maybe. Was that also the worst snore dub in TV history? Yes.

The coveted First Impression Rose (FIR) goes to: Ryan P. We're unsurprised. He's cute, he's an entrepreneur, and he's Green (solar power), so he's very en vogue. He's like the equivalent of locally-raised, hormone-free, grass-fed beef. Everyone loves him, and they feel good about loving him. What's not to love?

So the 18 survivors of Night One are (18, really?!? Ugh...):
1) Ryan P.
2) Constantine
3) Jeff
4) Ben F.
5) Lucas
6) Stephen
7) Matt/Dunder Mifflin
8) Nick
9) Chris D.
10) Ryan M.
11) Blake
12) Mickey
13) Ben C.
14) West
15) Wiliam
16) JP
17) Ames (the ogre)
18) Bentley

Byeeeee: Tim (Drunky); Jon (This season's first tears! Really?? A cocktail for two hours and tears?!? In addition, let me remind you that you're a dude.); Chris; Mike; Ryan; Rob; Anthony

Tonight's Awards:
1) Best Job Title: William's. Cell Phone Salesman. Way to aim high.
2) Douchebag Alert: Ames. Your Ivy-League pedigree and ogre-like face are a recipe for douchebaggery. Can't wait!
3) Villain: Bentley. We're on to you. Even though you're hot.
4) Worst Dressed: Mike/Pee Wee. Just say no to grey suits with red ties.
5) Hottest: Ryan P.
6) Frontrunner: Ryan P., with JP closely on his tails.

Until next week,
Mike

Only Two Weeks Until Disaster: Iteration 82

I can't believe that in just over two weeks, I'll be bound to my couch each Monday evening in order to watch The Worst Show on Television just to please you, my loyal readers. But I will do just that, for you. And because I'm famous.

So stay tuned. Show starts May 23. Get ready for drama.

Bromack update: I've only seen him once since arriving to Austin. I can't wait to meet him and have him want to punch me. Awesome.