Week two – Ben says he is excited to bring 18 women to Sonoma. We get a glance at Sonoma’s vast vineyards.
Ben meets the women and announces the first date-card. The girl to have the first 1-on-1 date with Ben is Kacie B. He makes a stereotypical assumption that all Southern women in general are family-oriented. Does this suggest that he secretly see’s her as a potentially boring date?
Courtney Robertson has this to say: “I kinda like her not to come back.” But then again, Courtney tends to be competitive and a little snide.
Ben and Kacie take a evening stroll through downtown Sonoma and wander into a candy store. Kacie spots a baton, which of course, was strategically placed there by the producers. Then Ben is privy to a presentation of Kacie’s baton twirling skills. The baton parade appeared kind of lame but Ben seemed relatively entertained.
Afterwards they march off to a nice little Sonoma restaurant where they are treated to a romantic meal. Kacie is trying anything and everything to get Ben’s attention. Ben seems tolerant but not particularly impressed. Kacie is by far much better looking than Courtney. In addition, she is not pretentious and has a nice personality. Between the two you’d think he’d pick Kacie. However, the chemistry is just not there. Perhaps, Ben has been jaded by too much female attention and has developed a tendency to take them for granted. Ben’s comment to Entertainment Weekly implies that he’s single minded when it comes to dating, i.e. that he was just looking for a “hot pair of legs” to date on The Bachelor season 16.
Ben: “I asked for legs.”
EW: “As in long ones or just two?”
Ben: “I’m a leg guy. Two nice long legs would be great.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to see that he’s interested in what goes on upstairs too?
They then go to a local movie theater where Ben surprises Kacie with a private screening of their home movies. It was touching to see Kacie as a young girl and baby Ben’s little butt was an omen of the things to come this season. The sight of his father on the screen stirred up cherished, personal memories causing a moment of awkward silence. Ben said that it was a very intimate thing to share with someone. At the end of the date Ben states that Kacie could potentially be the lady to share his life with in Sonoma.
Ben: “She’s someone that get’s me already.”
Kacie: “I think that I have found what could be a lifetime of love with Ben.”
They share a kiss, but I noticed that Ben was the first to withdraw. In fact, he pushed her away with both hands. It was almost an unconscious automatic reaction that suggests Ben wasn’t as much into Kacie as he professed.
GROUP DATE
Before the date began, Ben made a confession: “There are 12 ladies on this date which is “a lot of pairs of legs.” Knowing this, Blakeley picked out an outfit to specifically emphasize her long legs.
Ben and the ladies performed in an impromptu play written by local children. Besides acting like a weasel or making pig noises, a little girl dared Nicki to perform a sexy dance. One boy asked Blakeley to jog in slow motion. The scene didn’t seem appropriate for children because Blakeley’s movements forced her huge jugs to pop out. Nobody needs a wardrobe malfunction in front of the kids. To cover up her exposed boobs, Blakeley was given a gingerbread costume. Samantha summed it up accordingly: “What do you get when you cross a gingerbread man and a hooker? Blakeley!” Talk about a cut!
It was hard to make any sense out of the play and, honestly, I didn’t even try. Miraculously, Ben started out as a prince and ended up dressed in a sheep costume. Then, with one big blow, Monica, who played the dragon, blew Ben’s sheep clothing off revealing his white, not so impressive body. That’s when Blakeley exclaimed: “This is the kind of man I want to be with!” Maybe she’s desperate.
Back in the house, perplexed Courtney can’t figure out why Ben gave the first impression rose to Lindzi. To restore her bruised self-esteem, she sneered that the rose was meant for the horse, not Lindzi. LOL!
EVENING GROUP PARTY:
The drama worthy of reporting is Blakeley’s bold move to get Ben. Clearly, when Blakeley wants a rose she will do anything to get it. As intelligent Emily O’Brien noted, sexual aggression is a strategy that’s worked for Blakeley in the past and she will undoubtedly continue to use it (at least until it stops working).
I must also add that Blakeley and Courtney appear to be more experienced in the sexual department. These ladies know exactly how to turn on a guy and have no reservations about it.
Apparently, Blakeley’s strategy worked because after a steamy make-out session she got the rose, which left Samantha sobbing with jealousy.
Ben referred to Blakeley as a confident woman. Maybe Ben confuses confidence with sexual aggression (which is often a sign of a deeper insecurity, if you ask me.)
COURTNEY’S DATE WITH BEN
The date card arrives. Kacie reads the date card, which is actually intended for Courtney: “Courtney, Let’s spin the bottle … Ben” As if trying to challenge Kacie, Courtney says: “How’d that taste comin’ out of your mouth.” Then, with a cocky grin of victory, she exclaims: “I usually win!”
Of course, Courtney’s arrogant attitude doesn’t set well with the other ladies.
Ben, Courtney and Ben’s ‘son-of-a-dog’ Scotch go for a walk in the Redwoods. Country boy Ben gets his big chance to show off his howling skills. Courtney acts as if she is impressed. Well, if Courtney decides to leave her glamorous life-style, she, Ben and Scotch could go off howling in the Redwoods everyday. Why don’t I see that happening?
Ben shows Courtney his winery and then they share a romantic picnic. Ben talks about himself — partying and living it up until he went on The Bachelorette and suddenly had this incredible transformation, an “aha” moment of sorts. Courtney wants to say something nice to Ben, but she has a hard time describing what she really likes about him. Courtney: “I meet a lot of people and it’s pretty rare I meet someone… (long pause)… I don’t know.” (It’s tough to fake it when you don’t mean it.) We’re not surprised to see that no matter what Courtney says or does – she always exceeds Ben’s expectations.
Ben wants to know why such a beautiful girl like Courtney is still available.
Ben: “I want to know about your dating history, I am dumbfounded.”
In response to Ben’s questions, Courtney launches into a self-pity tirade about her trust issues, e.g. she once found a female’s underwear under her bed, which weren’t hers. She also implied she is very picky, that none of the guys in LA can satisfy her.
Courtney: “My dating life sucks. I’ve dated actors, photographers – a lot of guys. I’m picky. Dated the wrong guys…found underwear under the bed…I meet nice people, I’m just not into them.” Life’s tough when you’re hot.
In the end, we see two people pretending that they have something in common. This may be why the show’s ratings are dropping. After all, watching a fake romance is a waste of time!
Ben: “This is a pretty damn good match. Courtney does make me think Big picture.” The poor boy is wishing!
Courtney’s feelings for Ben can be summed up in the following statement: “All the other girls should watch out because I got the rose…”
In truth, Courtney is interested in winning because she wants to prove to herself that she still has got it. People don’t realize how insecure she is about aging. I think that her confidence is just a front.
COCKTAIL PARTY:
At the cocktail party, Ben whisks away Lindzi for a private conversation. Bubbly and energetic Lindzi looked wholesome in a pretty coral colored dress. It is interesting to note that Lindzi is an out-doorsy gitl; she grew up on a farm, “dirt is usually her make-up” and she drives F-350 Diesel. Their energy seemed magical. The two seemed to literally finish each others sentences. Obviously impressed and sensitive to what Lindzi thinks about him, Ben explained why he didn’t have a date with her this week.
I am not going to cover Jenna’s meltdown. Last week Jenna’s so-called employer blamed ABC for “bad” editing. However, it’s hard to believe that an intelligent conversation (if there was any) could suddenly metamorphose into a wacky babbling such as: “I came here looking for love…I’m sick…I feel like a guy…I am not a typical girl.”
Bottom line: Jenna sabotaged herself. She definitely has problems.
In the end, Jenna and Shawn are sent home following the rose ceremony.
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