1/26 Show Discussion **spoilers**

[buglover]

For some men, kissing isn't the way it is for women. Women find it to be more offensive than sex with someone else. I for one don't see it that way, a kiss is a kiss, nothing more.

[Capegal]

Note to self:
If you demand a rose and don’t get one…NOT good.
If you go in for a kiss and get a peck back…NOT good.
If he doesn’t have any desire to kiss you at all…NOT good.

Lauren, Shannon and Megan should have seen their departure coming.

Thought it interesting that Melissa states how she would have liked the one on one date back at Jason’s house…to see what it’s like to spend a Saturday nite at his place, just the 2 of them. Ahhh…I think she forgot about his little sidekick that lives with him.

Too bad Nikki is trying sooo hard to be “perfect” with her looks [except for those sideburns], but has forgotten to work on her thinking/personality/way of life. she can certainly attract them in, but once they get to know her…RUN!

Re Melissa’s GH scene: When they first came out of hair and make up, wasn’t she wearing a patient gown? If so, maybe it was her who was on the gurney that Shannon and Jason were pushing into the operating room.

AAAAAaaaaaa - but - little sidekicks go to bed early - or may be at his mom's - or even gramma's...........

[blue valentine]

I really don't think Shannon asked to be let go, she was practically on her knees begging for him to keep her there (pathetic if you ask me..I mean really? ). I understand the magic of editing and all that jazz but with Graham it was clearly obvious he wasn't into Deanna (she initiated all of the contact and asked him to kiss her various times) and it wasn't obvious with Shannon.

Both Shannon and Nikki displayed such desperation I felt second hand embarrassment for them. However I think Nikki really went out with some class and dignity, she didn't cry or beg like some of the other women. More than anything she clearly wants to be married and have kids, it wasn't necessarily Jason she was after (again unlike Shannon). It was the idea of him she was after and it's clear she still has issues over her past boyfriend.

Shannon sure gave them a lot of material to work with talking about rushing home to use her electric toothbrush haha and to french kiss her dog.

A couple of other random musings:

It was even more apparent during the 2 on 1 date how much older Stephanie looks than Jason and especially when compared to a beautiful girl like Nikki (side burns or not, she's gorgeous). She looked like Nikki's mother.

Meagan = hard up. That kiss in the scene was totally over the top and not sexy at all.

Melissa, annoying as ever. She reminds me of a hybrid of Mandy Moore and Topanga from Boy Meets World.

Lauren, too pushy, and loud.

Naomi looks a bit like Eva Mendez, has a bit of a dragalicious look but still attractive unlike Stephanie. But she's likeable compared to some of the other girls on there.

[d.dream]

Nikki doesn't want to get married to Jason. She just wants to get married. She wants so bad, it's scary. It almost seems like she's obsessed by that, like that's the only thing she thinks about. All she talks about is getting married and having a family. She has no conversation whatsoever. Don't you have interests, girl? Stop being so serious. She's pretty (from my point of view, I don't find her attractive at all), but really boring. I can't stand her, I'm sorry. She has some serious self confidence issues... SERIOUS!

[tushee]

1st post ever HI everyone....I have watched this board for a long long time and thought it was about time I actually signed up so I can post also.

About Stephanie....someone said it earlier that she is an 'old soul' I couldn't agree more. She seems much older than 34 and there is absolutely no chemistry between her and Jason, IMO. She needs someone older I think. I know Jason likes and respects her and they have the bond of young kids, but he really needs to let her go gracefully. She doesn't feel for him either in that way I don't feel.

At first I thought Melissa was WAY too young for him, but she is definitely growing on me, but being a Canadian I am holding out hope for Jillian!! eh?

[lurkinlady]

This show totally cracks me up. Have these women ever watched previous seasons?... it's so hard to see him kissing other girls, etc?

The girls I actually like they don't show enough of... I've hardly seen Jillian at all. There is obviously a connection with him and Melissa, but I can see why as it seems they've had no time together.

However, at the end of the show when they were doing the toast, did you notice he stared and talked right at Melissa?

[fanoflove]

1st post ever HI everyone....I have watched this board for a long long time and thought it was about time I actually signed up so I can post also.

About Stephanie....someone said it earlier that she is an 'old soul' I couldn't agree more. She seems much older than 34 and there is absolutely no chemistry between her and Jason, IMO. She needs someone older I think. I know Jason likes and respects her and they have the bond of young kids, but he really needs to let her go gracefully. She doesn't feel for him either in that way I don't feel.

At first I thought Melissa was WAY too young for him, but she is definitely growing on me, but being a Canadian I am holding out hope for Jillian!! eh?

I'm saying hi back because I'm new, too and it's nice to be greeted! I posted in one of these threads (I don't remember where ) that I can't believe Stephanie is only 34. She seems much older in her ways and looks. I can see her with an older guy, too.

Melissa is hilarious and I think her goofy side compliments Jason's. I just hope she's ready to settle down and be part of an immediate family. Though, if she loves Jason as much as you should love someone you're marrying, that should just come with it. That said, even though she'd be becoming part of an immediate family, there'll be a lot of fun within that family. Jason seems young hearted himself & what is more fun for a 3 year old than having 2 people who love to slide and play with you?

Jillian is great, too, so go ahead and hold out your hope. eh

[VelvetRed]

I think it was pretty obvious here that Shannon let on that she wanted to go home before the rose ceremony and that she wouldn't accept the rose if offered like Graham from DeAnna's season. They don't want to show one of the girls not accepting the rose from Jason so he was likely tipped off before he said Shannon's name and just didn't hand out the rose at all. Of course they make it look like it was Jason's decision, like they did with DeAnna, but in truth it is to save face.

This makes sense because if Shannon wasn't feeling Jason, then why put yourself through the final four mess. At that point you never hang out with the rest of the girls again until you are standing next to them at the RCs (and even then you aren't allowed to talk to them). At this point the girls are spent! Being up (and always ON) 18-20 hours a day 7 days a week takes a toll and the uncertainty of the outcome (or worse, knowing you won't win but kept around for entertainment value) along with risking your job back home makes it an easy choice for some people to bow out gracefully (letting it appear as though you didn't get a rose when in fact you would have had you not asked to leave).

Remember, the editing process takes into account the ending, and they have to give some sort of suggestion or justification for letting people go. They have enough footage of you to make you look pretty much any way they want to by shooting you at all hours of the day and night when you are exhausted and look terrible (to justify getting cut) or in the middle of the day playing in the pool or getting along great with everyone while they are all in great moods (to add support for how great you are). Sometimes, they get people who are just not mean spirited and never give them anything to justify a cut, so they do their best to make you look suspicious or like you are holding back and don't really show the real fun you were having and how great you really got along with everyone. I am sure Shannon is a fun and totally normal young woman but fell victim to not wanting to play the game so she got thrown under the bus by the editing team.

This is a very enlightening post!

I've been thinking for a long time that discussions about this show get very complicated, because some posters think the show is "real" (like a documentary of participants where there is nothing staged, contrived, or set up), others think it is heavily producer-manipulated, others think it is almost completely scripted as fiction but portrayed as "reality"(i.e., roles deliberately played by inexperienced actors, with some adlibbing left in, etc.).

It's easier for me to hope it's the latter (in bold).

[jlccaz]

I think it was pretty obvious here that Shannon let on that she wanted to go home before the rose ceremony and that she wouldn't accept the rose if offered like Graham from DeAnna's season. They don't want to show one of the girls not accepting the rose from Jason so he was likely tipped off before he said Shannon's name and just didn't hand out the rose at all. Of course they make it look like it was Jason's decision, like they did with DeAnna, but in truth it is to save face.

This makes sense because if Shannon wasn't feeling Jason, then why put yourself through the final four mess. At that point you never hang out with the rest of the girls again until you are standing next to them at the RCs (and even then you aren't allowed to talk to them). At this point the girls are spent! Being up (and always ON) 18-20 hours a day 7 days a week takes a toll and the uncertainty of the outcome (or worse, knowing you won't win but kept around for entertainment value) along with risking your job back home makes it an easy choice for some people to bow out gracefully (letting it appear as though you didn't get a rose when in fact you would have had you not asked to leave).

Remember, the editing process takes into account the ending, and they have to give some sort of suggestion or justification for letting people go. They have enough footage of you to make you look pretty much any way they want to by shooting you at all hours of the day and night when you are exhausted and look terrible (to justify getting cut) or in the middle of the day playing in the pool or getting along great with everyone while they are all in great moods (to add support for how great you are). Sometimes, they get people who are just not mean spirited and never give them anything to justify a cut, so they do their best to make you look suspicious or like you are holding back and don't really show the real fun you were having and how great you really got along with everyone. I am sure Shannon is a fun and totally normal young woman but fell victim to not wanting to play the game so she got thrown under the bus by the editing team.

Sounds like someone's true experience, projected onto Shannon's, LOL. But I guess I'd accept that by the end of that "week" at the cocktail party she recognized she was being rejected as a romantic interest altogether. But prior to that night, she sure gave the Avid editor an awful lot to work with in terms of establishing her own continued wish for a relationship with Jason. The sense is that she eventually wanted to leave because Jason wasn't into her, not (a la Graham) that he was freaked out by his own lack of attachment to Deanna, as compared to her pathological need to force him to F1 position.

[atem]

I still don't get why Jason kissed Lauren.