is she really going out with him?-rachel:week 5

Wow, I am the worst. Real life took over the past couple weeks – I had a crazy week at work to hit our 6/15 deadline and then capped that week off with an amazing weekend in Nashville to celebrate with one of my best girlfriends. I needed about a week to recover from that, only to go into a whirlwind wedding weekend in New Hampshire. I’m waving the white flag on two weeks of recaps – if I don’t, I’ll never get them done. The highlights of those two weeks: the funniest scene talking about a banana I’ve ever seen, Lee being a lunatic, America falling in love with Dean, and Rachel continuing to be the best Bachelorette I can remember. I’m determined to finish out the season, so let’s get to recapping week 5.

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My Takeaways

We pick up at the cocktail party of the group date, with Kenny confronting Lee about talking to Rachel to him. Part of this argument stems from (besides Lee being an ass) the fact that Lee is using the word aggressive to describe Kenny. Despite being told that the word could be a trigger for Kenny, Lee continues to use the word, further annoying and enraging Kenny. I was really impressed with the calmness with which Kenny spoke to Lee, even if all of his frustration was evident under the surface. Kenny knows who he is and that he is there for Rachel, and he is working his hardest to not let someone who is there with disingenuous intentions get under his skin.

Bryan gets the group date rose, and Kenny gives a passive aggressive speech about how Bryan is not a snake. Lee tells him to F*** off, which made me laugh out loud. All of the smart guys in the house (Peter, Bryan, Will) know exactly what Lee is doing, and the fact that he would even get offended by Kenny’s speech is laughable – he’s getting exactly what he wants.

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Next is Rachel’s one-on-one with Jack, Jack Stone. You can tell this date isn’t going to go well, simply by the way it is being produced. Jack isn’t eloquent in his ITMs, and their interactions are being shown as awkward. Personally, if Rachel would just try calling him by his full name, they might have a chance.

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Jack Stone tried so hard to have that romantic kiss moment, but Rachel was just not into it. She continuously gave him the cheek, but the guy was just so deliriously happy to be on this one-on-one date that he didn’t see what was coming next. At dinner, Jack is pouring his heart out to Rachel about how he feels that they could really work out because they have so much in common. If they were spending a day together in their hometown of Dallas, he would just want to lock her in the house and lay in bed. Romantic, right? Rachel is not feeling it and sends Jack home. I feel for the guy because he really thought that things were going well. The real gut punch was the perma-grin that has been on his face since the beginning finally falling.

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Rachel decides that they don’t need a cocktail party, she knows what she is going to do. Iggy believes that the people who are going to go home are the ones who have been causing drama, pretty much unintentionally foreshadowing his own departure. Following Iggy out the door is the tickle monster, Jonathan. Oddly, I’m kind of sad to see him go. He seemed sweet and made Rachel laugh. I think the producers upped his creep factor, but he really needs to stop tickling people.

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The crew is headed to Oslo, Norway and we get our first Dean sighting of the episode. What a welcome distraction.

Bryan’s one-on-one date is up first and the two of them are just exploring the city of Oslo. they repel off a ski jump and obviously kiss on the way down. Everything between these two seems very easy, and this is causing Rachel to wonder why is he still single. He is 37, has a good job, is handsome, why has no other girl snatched him up? I think this will be a reoccurring doubt and fear that she has as her journey continues.

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Rachel and Bryan’s chemistry is off the charts. He is not my favorite (because, Peter) but I can see him making it very far in the quest for Rachel’s heart. It is surprising to me that he is ready to drop the L-bomb already, the two of them haven’t really spent any time together. Obviously, Bryan gets the rose.

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The group date has the guys playing handball, and the singlets they were wearing were enough to keep me watching. Most of the guys are trying to be uber competitive (causing Rachel to make a ‘Jordan in the ’97 Bulls’ reference, and causing me to girl crush even harder), but Peter has his eyes on the prize. He is flirting and being affectionate with Rachel any chance he gets, and I think it is winning him some major brownie points. He is just so adorable!

JosiahHandfullofAss_Rachel_Episode 5

At the cocktail party, Will tells Rachel about his past relationship. He tells her that around the same time she was being heartbroken by Nick, he was being heartbroken by a girl that he was in love with and thought that he would never put himself back out there. Yet, somehow, here we are with Will on a nationally televised show to find love just a few months later. Hmmmm….

During Josiah’s one-on-one time, Rachel calls him out for never trying to get to know her. He lays lines on her constantly, always trying to appear sincere but she sees right through it. Also, his hand was lingering on her shoulder so awkwardly the whole time, like he was afraid to touch her.

During Peter’s one-on-one time, things get steamy. I LOVE that he puts the break on their make out session because they only have a limited amount of time to get to know each other. Her response, “Do you wanna cover ground in the hot tub?” I don’t know about you but I didn’t see much talking happening in the hot tub.

Will got the group date rose, and poor Peter is doubting himself a little. Personally, I think that she wanted to give Peter the rose but knew that it may make him a target for the guys. They already had mentioned that he was gone on his one-on-one time for awhile. All of this may be very incorrect, but I am shipping Rachel and Peter 4ever.

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The two-on-one date between Lee and Kenny is up next, and we all know this isn’t going to end well. Rachel and Kenny’s time goes well, and Kenny only brings Lee up once. I think he is trying so hard to focus on her and their relationship, but the situation with Lee has just gotten under his skin too much.

During her time with Lee, he makes a point to tell Rachel all about Kenny. He says that Kenny pulled him out of a van and tried to get physical with him. Lee said that this side of Kenny comes out when he drinks and that he is a different person when he is not drinking. I have to think that if there was a physical altercation of any kind that the producers would have shown it. Not only that, all of the guys seem to be on Kenny’s side.

Rachel tells Kenny about what Lee told her, and the entire thing is turning into a big game of ‘he said, he said’. Understandably, Kenny is not pleased with Lee upon hearing this, and that is where we leave the episode.

All that being said….why do Kenny and Rachel appear to be so cold on this date, and Lee seems to be fine wearing a long sleeved henley? Anyone?

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Best Tweets

https://twitter.com/chanelb94/status/879513406272917504



Sorry for that one Jack – but I literally LOL’ed

Best Dressed

OneonOneSweater_Rachel_Episode5Rachel went casual on her date with Jack. I found a cardigan similar to this one here.

OneonOneNecklace_Rachel_Episode5I love the triple Maltese cross necklace Rachel wore on her one-on-one date with Jack. I’m pretty sure the designer is Nan Fusco, and it is ‘call for availability’ expensive. You can visit the designer’s website for more information here. This side-eye is good too.

CowlNeckwithBryan_Rachel_Episode5Rachel’s sweater is BB Dakota, and I wasn’t able to find the exact one anywhere. I did find some similar options here (sleeveless), here and here.

HandballJacket_Rachel_Episode5Rachel does athleisure so well. This bomber jacket is by Lime & Vine, and can be found here.

TwoOnOnePuffer_Rachel_Episode5I am going to be crushing on this jacket big time come winter. The brand is Mackage, and I’m pretty sure this is the jacket, but if not its similar enough. It’s not cheap, but looks so warm!

Thanks for coming back and checking out the blog after my unintentional hiatus. I’ll be back soon to recap Episode 6 of Rachel’s journey. Which of the guys do you think will be great with Rachel? I’d love to hear! You can find me @third_and_girl anytime!

who let the dogs out-rachel:week 2

As much as I want to write 1000 words about Copper and his pool party, I’m not sure that is what you guys are here for. That being said, expect a BUNCH of dog party gifs.

My Takeaways

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The first date of the week is a group date, where after a BBQ and some backyard football, the men compete to show Rachel who is the best “husband material”. The relay race includes changing a diaper, vacuuming, unclogging a drain, and setting a table. The star power was amped up big time this episode, with Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis serving as guest judges for the competition. I know that tons of celebrities are fans of the Bachelor, but I think it speaks to the popularity of Rachel that two A-list celebrities wanted to come on and help her find love.

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Unfortunately, Whaboom (this is what most of the men call him, and I think it’s funny so I’m going to join them) wins the competition. I’m unsure if he won any extra time with Rachel, or if he is so boring that they just didn’t show it. I was rooting for Kenny in this race because as a dad it seemed like he actually had the most experience in this arena. And he knew better than to dunk the babies head in the sink while “unclogging the drain”.

During the evening, Rachel and the guys spend time, and Rachel is #unimpressed. None of the men are wowing her, filling her time with uninspired conversations, and the inability to make a move. The only guys who even attempt interesting conversation are Dean, who Rachel shares a sense of humor with, and Kenny, who tells Rachel about his daughter. We also find out on this date that Whaboom and Blake know each other from outside of the show. Blake says that he used to live with Lucas’s ex-girlfriend and that he knows he is there just to gain publicity. Funny that Blake would say that, as Whaboom and Blake were on the same season of a show called ‘Ex Isle’, where couples came to fix their relationships, only to be tempted by ‘sexy singles’. Lucas was there with his ex-girlfriend (the same one that Blake lived with), and Blake was there to try and create friction in the relationship. I don’t blame either of them for not liking the other, but it’s a bit of the pot calling the kettle black for Blake to say Lucas is there for the wrong reasons. Dean gets the group date rose, and finally takes initiative and kisses Rachel as he walks her out.
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Rachel_Episode 2_Copper ArrivesThis has got to be the greatest surprise of Peter’s life.

Is everyone ready to swoon? Peter gets the first one-on-one date, and Rachel is taking him to Palm Springs on a private jet. Not only that, her dog Copper is going along, and they are going to a dog pool party. If any of you know me, you know that this is literally my dream. I want to live at this dog pool party.

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It took awhile for me to settle down from seeing all those dogs, but once I did I liked what I saw. Rachel and Peter have an ease about their relationship that can’t be manufactured, you either have it or you don’t. At night, Peter and Rachel bond over their mutual love of therapy and gapped teeth. The therapy conversation was interesting because it showed that both of them are interested in improving themselves, and are not afraid to ask for help when it comes to relationships. I think that this will help them both immensely as their relationship progresses.
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The last date was another one I would love, a basketball date featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This season is really amping up the star power. The men were put through drills by Kareem, and he essentially just made fun of them the entire time. It was fantastic. DeMario and Eric thought they were ballers on the court, but only one of them could back up their talk with an actual game. Unfortunately for DeMario, that wasn’t the only game he was playing.

At the conclusion of the date, Rachel is confronted by Lexi, a girl claiming to be DeMario’s girlfriend. He essentially ghosted her upon coming on the show, and she had the text messages to prove it. There were so many great moments in this exchange; whether it be the look on DeMario’s face when he recognizes Lexi and then remembers that he has to pretend he doesn’t know who she is or, Rachel telling him to ‘Get the F*&! out’. Gold.

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Rachel is upset by this whole exchange and tells the remaining men that she isn’t there to play games and if they are they can get out as well. I was surprised that she chose to have the nighttime portion of the date. In the past, I feel like if the lead has a large disruption to their process like this, they normally cancel the nighttime portion because the day has just been too much. At night, all the men seemed very concerned about Rachel, and how she is holding up after the afternoon’s shocker. She has the best conversation with Josiah and gives him the group date rose.

At the rose ceremony, an uninvited guest shows up. Any guesses who? Obviously DeMario comes back to talk to Rachel. We don’t get to see if Rachel allows him to talk to her as the episode ends with Mr. Harrison (as the security guard calls him) telling Rachel of DeMario’s arrival. To be Continued….

Best Tweets

https://twitter.com/PrincessProbz/status/869353019384750081

Best Dressed

Obviously Rachel is always going to be the best dressed in this season, unless her gal pals make more appearances. Here are the details on some of her outfits from this episode!

Rachel_Episode 2_BBQ DressFor the afternoon BBQ, Rachel opted for a fun floral dress. Her dress is Self-Portrait and can be found here.

Rachel_Episode 2_Purple Sparkle DressRachel wore this sparkly shift dress to the nighttime portion of her basketball date. This dress is Mlv and appears to be sold out. I found a similar dress in a different color which can be found here (and it’s on sale! WOOT!).

Rachel_Episode 2_Zipper DressThis zipper detailed dress Rachel wore is absolute fire. This dress is by Michelle Mason, and can be found here (at over 50% off).

Rachel_Episode 2_Rose Ceremony DressRachel’s rose ceremony dress is by Mac Duggal and can be bought here.

Rachel_Episode 2_SweaterI tried so hard to find this asymmetrical ribbed sweater that Rachel wore to play with Copper. Alas, I didn’t have any luck. I did find a pretty similar sweater here, although it has a bit of a high price tag.

What did you guys think of Episode 2 of Rachel’s quest to find love? I’m still loving Peter and Kenny, and am looking forward to getting to know even more of the men!