Monthly Archives: August 2017

know better-bip4: episode 3

Posted in Television by

Work got in the way a little bit, but it can’t keep me from my goal of catching up on Paradise. Let’s get to Episode 3!

My Takeaways

BIP 4-3 - Adam Bug.gifsource

We start with the day before the first rose ceremony, and a bunch of the girls are super concerned that none of the men are romantically interested in them. First, there are going to be like 15 new men that come into Paradise at any point. Second, you have the power! It doesn’t matter if they don’t like you – they have no control. This should be easy peasy for them, no need to freak out.

Speaking of new men coming in, Adam makes his way into Paradise with a date card. He gets the low down on current relationships and gets the go ahead to take any girl he wants, minus Taylor. Adam is interested in Raven and Kristina and talks to both of them. I knew he was going to pick Raven for the date when he called her dynamic – I think that is such a powerful compliment.

While Raven and Adam go on a very nice, but boring, first date, Dean and Kristina continue to be on the rocks. I love Deanie Babies as much as the next person, but he really is a child when it comes to relationships. He liked Kristina enough to go to Kentucky with her during the filming stoppage but, not enough to have a conversation about where they stand. At this point in Paradise, he isn’t interested in anyone else but her so I can imagine how aloof and confusing he will be when someone else he is even remotely interested in arrives (Spoiler alert: we will get to see this).

BIP 4-3 - Jasmine Alex thirstysource

We FINALLY get to our first rose ceremony, and a lot of the men are feeling uncertain. After Amanda tells Alex that he no longer is going to get her rose he is scrambling to find a new one. Robby, unsure if he will get Raven’s rose, makes the move on Amanda. Robby is hesitant to go for her at first because she was engaged to one of his friends but he goes for it anyway. This conversation is so frustrating and annoying for me because they keep calling Josh Murray ‘Anonymous’ when everyone knows who they are talking about. If you don’t feel comfortable saying his name while you are having this conversation maybe you shouldn’t be having it.

BIP 4-3 - Amanda Robby You're really sweaty

Finally, Dean decides to have a semi-adult conversation with Kristina and tells her that he has felt weird vibes between the two of them and thinks that they should take a step back. He tells her that he wanted to have the conversation before the rose ceremony so she could make a good decision for herself. Too bad he couldn’t have had the conversation with her all the times she tried to have it, which would have actually given her time to get to know someone else.

Unfortunately, Kristina still gives Dean her rose. After watching the episode, the only mild surprise was Danielle M giving Ben Z a rose but after Raven gave hers to Adam, Danielle wanted to have a nice guy stick around.

BIP 4-3 - Alexis Damnsource

The next day Danielle Lombard arrives, and all the men go crazy. To be honest, I was never a DLo fan, and I’m not a fan of her now. She has a tendency to laugh after everything anyone says and it drives me crazy. She gets the scoop from the girls as to who is with who, and knows that Kristina and Dean have some type of connection. She disregards that, and asks Dean on a date anyway. To be honest, I don’t blame her for that too much, as I don’t think her and Kristina are great friends and Dean and Kristina are “taking a step back”.

On their date, Dean and DLo ride ATVs, talk about their seasons, their families, and share a kiss. God, these Paradise dates are boring.

Upon returning from their date, Dean goes to talk to Kristina to tell her about their date and tell her that him and DLo kissed. I know that he is just trying to be honest with her but I don’t think it’s necessary. Dean tells Kristina that he missed her during the day, and she leaves the conversation feeling good about their relationship.

BIP 4-3 - Alexis 'dean's a little d***'source

That night, everyone is having a bonfire and roasting s’mores. Dean and Kristina seem to be pretty cuddly around the campfire; that is, until he goes and brings DLo a half-birthday “cake” (watermelon with whipped cream). Understandably, it upsets Kristina to see Dean giving another girl attention when she thought they were moving forward. The episode ends with Dean oblivious, and Kristina crying on her bed with Alexis (who I would like to recruit to be my new BFF).

Best Tweets

[It’s hard to find funny tweets two weeks late  – I’ll pick this section back up while recapping Week 3]

Best Dressed

I was a big fan of the rose ceremony dresses this week.

BIP 4-3 - Danielle M Rose Ceremony

I couldn’t find Danielle’s purple maxi dress but I found a similar cut in hot pink here.  I loved the chunky gold necklace that she paired the dress with, I found a similar one here (only $18!).

BIP 4-3 - Kristina Rose Ceremony Romper

Continuing her romper domination, Kristina looked hot in this outfit from Calypso Boutique, which can be found here.

BIP 4-3 - Danielle M Off the Shoulder Dress

Of the casual outfits, only Danielle M.’s off the shoulder look stood out to me. This dress is Flynn Skye, which we know Danielle loves,  and can be bought here.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the season! You can find me on Twitter @third_and_girl.

 

still got time-bip4: episode 2

Posted in Television by

One day later, and I’m continuing my Bachelor in Paradise marathon. I realize now that my initial goal of catching up all in one weekend is extremely unrealistic, especially with blogging as I go. New goal: get caught up by the time week 4 rolls around, which includes full week 3 posts WITH funny tweets. I don’t know about you guys, but the tweets are my favorite.

My Takeaways

BIP 4-2 - Evan OMG

Easily the best part of this episode was Carly and Evan’s wedding. Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of either of them on their initial seasons but grew to love them as they joined the cast of Bachelor in Paradise. I think their relationship is one of the most realistic – the guy instantly knew and chased the girl and it took the girl a little bit of time to realize he wasn’t a complete lunatic. Hearing them talk about their relationship cracks me up.

BIP 4-2 - Evan Bass Hard In the Paint

The wedding seemed really fun and perfect for Mexico. I loved all of the colors and the pom-pom garland. Carly and her bridesmaids looked gorgeous and it was awesome to see some Bachelor family faces that we haven’t seen in awhile (Hi Whitney!). I cried through the entire thing.

BIP 4-2 - Wells Groomsmen

After the wedding, we go back to current day Paradise, where Chris is having a chat with the cast about the the DeMario/Corinne scandal. No one says anything that interesting, or different from what they had put out on Twitter. I think Diggy and Raven spoke the most eloquently about the issues. Diggy could relate to the struggles DeMario may face in the future as a black man and Raven, having been a victim of sexual assault herself, was able to voice the need for every victim to speak up. I think it was extremely brave of her to speak out and I admire her even more for it. Scandal aside, everyone agrees that they still want to be in Paradise so we can get back to the nonsense.

The interesting dynamic that this break in filming created is that some relationships continued when they were in the US for 10 days. We find out that Dean went to visit Kristina in Kentucky for a week, seemingly solidifying their Paradise bond. Jasmine is still very into Matt, although Matt seems to have cooled on Jasmine a bit. Raven has no idea what she wants to do, Amanda no longer thinks she is going to give Alex her rose, and Danielle doesn’t think she’s actually into Jack Stone. See what putting these people in the real world does! It’s chaos!

BIP 4-2 - I think she hates him

Even though Amanda is trying to keep her distance from Alex, he really isn’t having it. Amanda says that she used to take men being slightly possessive of her as a sign of flattery and attraction, but has learned that she doesn’t want that in a relationship anymore (cough cough, Josh Murray). I’m hopeful that this realization will lead to more successful relationships for Amanda, who according to Alexis deserves love more than her. Everyone can see that whenever anyone approaches Amanda, Alex finds a way to worm himself into the conversation. He asks Raven for advice with Amanda, and she tells him to not talk to Amanda and to talk to other people. Obviously, he takes this to mean, “I should go talk to Amanda right now.” Some people never learn.

The other person who is so concerned about someone liking them is Lacey. Unfortunately, her grandfather died before the shutdown, and she wasn’t in Mexico for the duration. Upon returning, she really feels like an outsider. I’m confused because Iggy was into her before she left, and the only interaction we see of the two of them now is her asking him if he is full of sh*t. Uhmm, not the way to a man’s heart, Lacey. Also, she thinks Danielle is the perfect human, so maybe none of these sane men are quite her style.

Derek gets a date card and obviously asks Taylor. They go on a pretty boring dinner date but these two seem to be following for each other hard. Are we looking at this season’s Jade and Tanner?

From the previews, it looks like one more man is going to join the group before the women hand out roses. Will it be Lacey’s beloved Daniel, or someone else set to shake everything up?

Best Tweets

[It’s hard to find funny tweets two weeks late  – I’ll pick this section back up while recapping Week 3]

Best Dressed

BIP 4-2 - Kristina Romper

Kristina is killing the romper game this season, as she had another cute one on during the sit down with Chris Harrison. Kristina’s romper is Ark & Co and can be found here (pre owned).

BIP 4-2 - Amanda Crop Top

If Kristina is killing the romper game, Amanda has got the crop top game on lock. Her top is actually a swimsuit from Tularosa and can be purchased here.

BIP 4-2 - Raven Swim Suit

I haven’t been super impressed with the swim suits this season, but I did like Raven’s due to the sporty back and neutral colors. Raven’s swimsuit is L*Space, with the top and bottom sold separately (but on sale!)

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the season so far! Any outfits you want me to identify? Let me know!

 

holiday – bip4: episode 1

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Paradise is back! What a welcome surprise, after the controversy that almost caused it not to be on our TV’s at all this summer. Finals had me way behind on the show, but I’m using this week to catch up. I don’t think I’ve ever recapped BIP and I’m really looking forward to it. Expect A LOT of posts this week.

My Takeaways

BIP4-1 - Chris Harrison Most Dramatic

The first to arrive in Paradise (here we capitalize Paradise, it is an important place) and her voiceovers sound like she is taking this whole thing wayyyy too seriously. You shouldn’t go into Paradise hoping to get engaged. You should go into it hoping to have a great time in Mexico, and if you leave with something kind of serious than consider it a huge bonus. That being said, I love Raven and am rooting for her to find love.

BIP4-1 - Iggy Dean Bromance

Dean arrives next, and I was surprised that he and Raven didn’t seem that into each other. She says that he’s cute, but I imagined the two of them being the power couple of Paradise. It’s possible that my love for Raven is clouding my judgment, but I would have expected all of the guys to be looking to meet her.

BIP4-1- Alexis Opening Scene

There are a bunch more arrivals, and none are too interesting. We see the arrivals of Danielle M., Kristina, Jasmine, Iggy, Diggy, Alexis (YAAAS), Matt, DeMario, Corinne, Lacey, Amanda S., Jack Stone, Vinny, Nick, Derek, Taylor, and Alex. I actually got most of those off the top of my head which, to me, is both concerning and impressive.

BIP4-1 - Corinne Siesta Fiesta

On the first day, a couple of pairs hit it off. Dean and Kristina have an oddly heartfelt (for Paradise) conversation about the tough childhoods that they both had. Ben Z. and Raven have some alone time and Raven learns a lot about Ben’s dog. To be honest, I could listen to someone talk about their dog all day, so there was no need for the do-do music to be edited in there. DeMario and Corinne are also all over each other.

The whole group gets together to hear the sad news that Jorge won’t be their bartender this summer, that he is following his dreams and opening ‘Jorge’s-Tour-ges’. I don’t know if this is a real thing or not, but sign me up. There is no way that our Bachelors and Bachelorettes are going to left high and dry, so Wells is brought in to be the bartender.

BIP 4-1 - Alexis Vagina Dancing

Kristina gets the first date card and asks Dean to go on her date. While those two are on their date (which was really boring) Danielle M., who was seen at least 3 times saying that Dean was the cutest one on the beach, vents to her pal from Nashville, Wells. Hearing the way Danielle talks about Wells makes you question why the two of them have never dated before. From personal experience, you always go for the radio guy.

Nick came into Paradise wanting to meet Jasmine, but he is blowing it big time by getting HAMMERED on night one. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, Matt swoops in. Jasmine seems to be more into Matt, and when he is given a date card a few days later, it is Jasmine that he takes on his date.

BIP4-1 - Danielle imitates Robby's hair

The next day Robby makes his way to Paradise – all 12 abs and 30 bathing suits of him. He is given a date card and decides to take Raven. They have fun jet skiing around, but Robby thinks Raven is much more into the date than she actually is. As she is unpacking the date with her girls she mentions that there were no sparks and that he talked about being a social media influencer. Robby thinks that is a cool thing, as he tells the guys that they talked about Instagram. Insert eye roll here.

BIP 4-1 - Robby wine Spritzer

At the rose ceremony, many of the women have their minds made up but a few are up in the air. Ben Z. gets the confirmation from Raven that she is much more into him than she is into Robby. Vinny, Iggy, Diggy, and a few other guys are looking to worm their way into getting one of the girls’ roses and get a shot at another week. It is at this time when the production shut down starts to take place. Corinne and DeMario are pulled away by producers and the cameras are going dark, and the episode ends.

BIP4-1 - Better Than Robby Kiss

Best Tweets

[It’s hard to find funny tweets two weeks late  – I’ll pick this section back up while recapping Week 3]

Best Dressed

BIP 4-1 - Danielle M Intro Outfit

Danielle M. was the style star for me this week. I loved the two piece set she wore to enter paradise and the green floral maxi she was wearing at the rose ceremony. Not only that, I’m loving her extra platinum blonde hair. The set was by Flynn Skye, a designer that I’d liked when she wore it on Nick’s season. The pattern is Floral Fireworks and you can buy the top here and the skirt here.

BIP 4-1 - Danielle M Rose Ceremony Dress

The dress is Karlie, and can be found here.

BIP 4-1 - Kristina Intro Romper

Kristina’s arrival romper was really cute. The romper is by Tobi, and is a pretty reasonable $80. You can buy it here.

BIP 4-1 - Amanda Intro Crop Top

Amanda’s wardrobe never disappoints. A nautical look will never be out of style for the summer, so her arrival crop top was a great choice. The top is Stone Cold Fox, and can be found here (actually on sale through the designer, but not any retailers!)

Who are your favorite couples in Paradise so far? Anyone? Let me know!

 

life with luna-gotcha day

Posted in Personal by

Guys, my lifelong dream of owning a dog of my very own has finally come true, and I can’t tell you how much joy this girl brings to my life. If you haven’t seen on my Instagram already, meet Luna:

IMG_0140

About a week ago, my boyfriend, Geordie, and I decided it was finally time to get a dog. Well, actually, we decided more than a week ago, as the last weekend in July has been circled on our calendar all year. We have had so many out of town weddings this summer that that weekend was the earliest weekend that we were going to be in town and able to get our new pup settled. On July 28, we went to the PSPCA just to browse (year right) for a pup.

I had gone to a charity event the night before benefiting the PSPCA and fell in love with a puppy named Louise. When we got the shelter on Friday evening, Louise had been adopted and I was a little bummed. I turned around to look at the other row of kennels, and we locked eyes with this little black lab mutt, named Emma at the time, and our hearts melted. Not wanting to jump the gun, we browsed through the shelter, while Geordie assured me that, “no, we can not get three of them.” On our way back around we stopped at her cage again, and were amused by how she looked at us while all the other dogs in the kennel barked. It was the look of “IDK what these guys are barking at, they’re crazy.” I think it was that moment that we decided that we wanted to meet this little girl, and possibly take her home.

IMG_0122First family picture

We took her outside to let her run around and fell in love with her energy and love of life. I’ve never seen a dog look so happy running around, tongue out of her mouth and everything! I wish I had a picture of that. It was a no brainer that this silly girl was going to be our girl.

We were able to take her home a few days later (she still had to be spayed), and our life has changed so much in the past two week – but for the better. It is incredible how this animal who can not speak can have so much personality. Luna loves chicken (it’s the only way she will take a pill), tearing apart toys (especially stuffed ducks), pulling blankets inside her crates, and chasing bugs and leaves. She also is the biggest baby in the world and loves to cuddle.

IMG_0176Begging for chicken

I’d love to share my future experiences as a dog owner with you, especially living in the city. I’ve already learned that it’s really hard to keep her focus while outside , so any tips and tricks would be welcome!

Welcome to our family, Luna! We love you!

champion-which bachelor alum podcast should you download?

Posted in Television by

So I might be the worst Bachelor recapper in the world. My life has gotten twice as busy in the past week – I started a six-week class, that I’m hanging out in for up to 4 hours a night after work. I haven’t even watched last week’s episode! I might tap out on Rachel’s season, and recap Paradise – because that is gif gold.

All that being said, I definitely haven’t tapped out on Bachelor Nation. Recently, a ton of Bachelor alum have started podcasts. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a podcast junkie, I literally listen to them all day at work. I thought I’d take a listen to them all for you, and let you know which ones are worth a listen, and which you can skip (spoiler alert: I’m not going to skip any of them).

KaitlynPodcast_OffTheVine

Kaitlyn’s podcast, Off the Vine, is by far my favorite. I think she is funny and engaging, and I love that she is drinking wine the entire time. Her podcast is fairly new, so I’m not sure that she has completely found her voice/focus, but I enjoy all the avenues she is exploring. So far, she has had Bachelor alum, country singers, and body positive influencers join her in the studio. Kaitlyn uses her signature personality and sense of humor to bring you in and feel like you’re listening to a conversation amongst your friends. You can listen here, or on iTunes.

AshleyI_IDon'tGetIt

I was never a big Ashley I fan on Chris’s season, but her forays into Paradise and her post-Bachelor career in the entertainment industry has changed my opinion. She’s killing the podcast game, doing interviews for Access Hollywood and even can be found in the new Fall Out Boy video! Ashley hosts this podcast with her sister, Lauren, and close friend/Bachelor producer Naz Perez. The girls talk about all the things they don’t get in life, and mostly in dating. You will frequently find Bachelor alum on this podcast as well, along with celebrity guests (I’m looking at you Aaron Carter). I relate to Ashley’s boy band crazy personality, and it’s fun to listen to her talk with her friends about the craziness that is being in your twenties. You can subscribe and listen on iTunes.

OliviaCaridi_MouthingOff

Olivia Caridi, the former Bachelor villain, hosts a podcast where she talks to reality TV stars about their careers and shows. She is much more likable on her podcast than she was on Ben’s season, but I don’t know that she gives you anything content wise that you can’t find anywhere else. I think not having a regular co-host hurts her, as I don’t find her personality engaging enough to carry a show like I do Kaitlyn’s. She has had some interesting guests on in the past, such as  Shep and Craig from Southern Charm and Lala from Vanderpump Rules, so if those shows are your thing (raises hand), I still think you will enjoy her conversations. You can listen here, or subscribe on iTunes.

BenAndAshley_Almost Famous

I have a deep seated love for Ben Higgins, so it pains me to put his podcast with Ashley I last on my list. The format of this show is just a little odd. The transitions between topics and ad reads could definitely use some work and they take calls from listeners (I think it may air live on I Heart Radio). The callers spend most of their time fangirling over the two of them, and not addressing the topic that they are supposedly calling in about.  Ashley and Ben recap the week’s episode of the Bachelor for part of the show, so their insight is interesting. I’m hoping that they tweak the format of the show a bit, because the two of them do have great chemistry, and I think the podcast could be quite good. You can listen here, or you guessed it, subscribe on iTunes.

Have you listened to any of the Bachelor alum podcasts? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments or @third_and_girl!