Here's What I Was Told

[mprssdbyu]

I'm very glad you chimed in. It was very depressing seeing how many people automatically accepted that insider's "speculations" (as even Lithargic admitted) as gospel. My guess is that some of it is scripted (like with Michelle), and maybe some scenes are re-shot (maybe some of Michelle's PI's), but the raw emotion of how people handle unsual situations is probably better than what can be scripted.

Also, Brad strikes me as somebody who doesn't sell out. And he doesn't seem like a very good actor, either - not that there's anything wrong with that! So I'm leaning toward much of this being pretty real, even if the situations they are put in are unreal.

It is depressing isn't it. The Thanksgiving story for me made me doubt RS predictions. No way they risk a WHOLE family showing up at a private meeting. I just wasn't buying that. So, I of course watched and bought into Brad waiting for Emily to get over Ricky or to see if she could. The whole season... everyone and I do mean everyone good at sleuthing has questioned SO many things... caught many many things that didn't add up. But when I read what lithargic had to say.... as it was BEFORE all these questions about editing appeared... not one bit of it doesn't fit. Lauren's story... Lithargic's telling us not to believe anything MONTHS ago... I guess I want someone to show me how Lithargic's info is not believable when you take away your favorite. I would love to have a little faith in Brad... a little as he was the guy I admired for walking away the first time when he wasn't in love instead of stringing someone along. I guess the same applys this season as they all knew or at least his F1 did... still no stringing along. Good for him.

[anders332]

I'm very glad you chimed in. It was very depressing seeing how many people automatically accepted that insider's "speculations" (as even Lithargic admitted) as gospel. My guess is that some of it is scripted (like with Michelle), and maybe some scenes are re-shot (maybe some of Michelle's PI's), but the raw emotion of how people handle unsual situations is probably better than what can be scripted.

Also, Brad strikes me as somebody who doesn't sell out. And he doesn't seem like a very good actor, either - not that there's anything wrong with that! So I'm leaning toward much of this being pretty real, even if the situations they are put in are unreal.

For a lot of us, Lith’s ‘speculation’ is just confirmation that this season was totally set up as redemption from Brad – it’s not like what he said was out of thin air and hadn’t been discussed here. If anything, it gives credence to those of us who already thought this is what was going on.

[Chacharo]

This show doesn't need this elaborate scheme for drama that Lithargic claims he was told about. Every season the "drama" happens on it's own. Why would the show break it's own back to create something that it didn't need to? Do your own "sleuthing" like the FORTERS used to do. Ask your own questions and come up with your own conclusions. What would you think about this season if RS and Lithargic hadn't "spoiled" it?

Hi babyfaceC!

We have pages and pages of what people think of this season, which is of course spoiled with insider info just like every season since Brad's first quest to find true love. If one chooses to be spoiled and read FORT or RS, it's impossible to go back to the days of innocence when we thought people were all on the show to find love and the twirl at the end would result in a life of happily ever after for the couple. It's almost impossible to be unbiased and look at screencaps with shadows and dress colors to determine who is the F1.

I think we have all become jaded by the knowledge that participants are goaded into crying and filled with suggestions that make them do things to create drama. Aside from the RS and Lithargic spoilers, we have been privy to how a reality show works by some people who I chose to believe know how they work. I'll never forget when I first saw a picture that included all the staff around the couple as they filmed. It brought me back to reality real quick.

I don't know Brad personally like some people, but he's still my favorite bachelor ever. He's handsome and polite and a true gentleman (at least that is what we see on our TV screens). I love the way he walks, talks and dresses. Do I believe that some of the things that have been spoiled are true? Probably - but it won't stop me from watching and enjoying the show that is being presented to me anyway. Since it's not my life, I'm not personally affected by any of it.

One thing I want to say is this - it's nearly impossible for any of us to know what we would think about the show if we hadn't read any of the spoilers. I'm guessing that you are in a similar position. What would you think of the season if you weren't friends with the lead?

[jlccaz]

(1) The sourcing on the "what I was told" is to be polite of a very low quality on my scale of reliability. [posting as fact information known to me to be wrong wrong wrong, poor track record, bio, alleged connections to tippers, nature of "tips", etc.] Have you noticed that the "leaks" miraculously / coincidentally reflect, not inspire, the direction of board chat? And the chat just moves right by the ones that didn't pan out? Speculation and spoilers are two different categories for a reason.
(2) It is not a scandal or a scoop to announce that we are viewing a produced entertainment not a documentary about some very fit people with poor dating histories who traveled around and went on dates and fell in love.
(3) People can fall in love at work. Maybe Brad did. Let's tune in to see.
(4) If no one "fell in love at work" or even thought they did when they didn't, we can judge the entertainment. Monday night's episode was a flop in both the love and the entertainment categories, but the best episodes are yet to come (except Women Tell Nothing, which I despise except for the preview.)

[reality-luv31]

(1) The sourcing on the "what I was told" is to be polite of a very low quality on my scale of reliability. [posting as fact information known to me to be wrong wrong wrong, poor track record, bio, alleged connections to tippers, nature of "tips", etc.] Have you noticed that the "leaks" miraculously / coincidentally reflect, not inspire, the direction of board chat? And the chat just moves right by the ones that didn't pan out? Speculation and spoilers are two different categories for a reason.
(2) It is not a scandal or a scoop to announce that we are viewing a produced entertainment not a documentary about some very fit people with poor dating histories who traveled around and went on dates and fell in love.
(3) People can fall in love at work. Maybe Brad did. Let's tune in to see.
(4) If no one "fell in love at work" or even thought they did when they didn't, we can judge the entertainment. Monday night's episode was a flop in both the love and the entertainment categories, but the best episodes are yet to come (except Women Tell Nothing, which I despise except for the preview.)

Here, here! Interesting observation about "reflecting" the direction of the board chat.

[Bloomers]

Agree that some but not all of this makes sense.

If the basic is true, that Brad and Chantal are not really in love but get engaged at the FRC, and you put that together with TB knew and wanted the Laurel story to break, I think Laurel is part of TB's planned breakup of Brad and Chantal. If they have an AFTR where Brad and Chantal discuss they are now broken up, they can use Chantal's edit as crying and jealous to create a story that Brad dumped her for Laurel. She'll cry, and become the underdog, and the perfect choice, as was Deanna, for the next Bachelorette. It makes more sense that they got Chantal to play the F1 part by promising her the Bachelorette part after her and Brad's breakup.

I just can't see Emily as the next Bachelorette. She doesn't have the outgoing personality and range of emotion that's needed to keep a whole show interesting. And, I don't think she'd take it. I don't see her leaving Nashville and her "two families" --her own and Ricki's grandparents -- and I don't think she's that interested in the national spotlight.

Chantal, like Deanna, would make a great Bachelorette. Deanna was a little rounder in Brad's season (like Chantal now.). TB spent months on trainers to get her body into incredible shape and give her a total makeover. They could easily do the same with Chantal.

I don't see Brad having real money problems, he owns a lot of bars and propery, but I'm sure a huge hunk of money could cause him to go along with the whole thing, even if part of that thing is he gets thrown under the bus for causing Chantal to break up with him because she can't trust him after Laurel.

I really hope Brad and Chantal are in love, and they weren't scripted. But if they were, I think the plan is to stage a breakup that will lead Chantal right into the top spot for the Bachelorette.

What an absolute zinger! That would be shocking, and it would round it all out. Now here is one that will kick you in the seat of the pants. For a moment, I thought you meant they would use Laurel as the next Bachelorette.
It's not like we don't know who she is...CH could do a bang up job promoting her just like he would any next Bachelorette. (Tongue in cheek)
"You first met her as Brad's ex-girl that he returned to after his first show. Later, you saw her as Wes's girlfriend while he was on Jillian's show, and then you saw her as the girl behind Brad's texts. America, meet the new Bachelorette Laurel."
This show in many ways has become about that tawdry. Fleiss has made it clear in an interview that he believes trash is what sells Reality TV. We have that almost quoted stated statement somewhere around here.

OTOH, I can well see Chantal being the next Bachelorette. I stated very early on that she had the spunk and vitality to pull off the role better, imo, than Emily despite how gorgeous she is. (However, I believe men would flock in just because of Emily's beauty - that is just the nature of the beast.)

I believe the bones of it are true. [/B]Brad did the show as a way to redeem his reputation and he would choose a F1 no matter what. Whether or not Chantal was chosen before or after Brad met her - IDK, whether or not any of the other women know - IDK, but I tend to believe not since they do have to rely on true raw emotions to at least make it look real. Is Emily being set up as next 'ette - most likely.

I say this as politely and absolutely respectfully to you as I can say it. Please read what anders has said because she has just nailed it with the hammer solidly, firmly on the head.

My own personal sleuthing shows me that Brad's choice was made the very first night, not on a group date or a single date as he says. That helps me to believe that Chantal - who walked up and SLAPPED the lead [who would do that on this show - breezily, confidently like she did?] was a pre-determined choice. Why is that important? Simply, it is important because as a student of the edit, my immediate thought was that this girl is TOAST with that action. Instead, the girl who performs what is now considered by most to be anti-social and a great many to be a violent action is the spoiled F1. What???

My sleuthing shows Chantal to be standing in the RCs spots in F1 Robert's same spots. I can not stress this enough. This is hard evidence in the edit, not literary - evidence as well in screencaps.
In addition, for the very first time, we had a picture in an interview of CH naming some guy and showing him "placing" people in the line.
How much "proof" do we need? They aren't even lined up by height, etc.

Many have becried Chantal getting the last rose the other night.
I very strongly believe that Brad has to do what the producers say in many, many situations. They manipulate the situations somehow so that certain positions (F3, F2, etc.) get the rose. Why do I say that?
I do because I keep charts, and when I look back, I see that in that episode, often the same position gets the group rose in the same episode in different seasons.

Now in the last episode before the HT, Jesse F1 and Vienna F1 got the last rose before the HT. Chantal is the spoiled F1. I think she was destined to get the last rose. Period.
That situation was manipulated somehow to get to that point.

Sorry, folks, to be that cold, but the stats are there. They wanted a showdown between Michelle and Chantal for that last rose, not Michelle and Asheley just like they wanted Vienna to get that last rose and take it away from probably sweet Corrie. It was more important than Brad making Chantal feel wanted.

Also, all that one has to do to believe ander's above post about the manipulate drama and people is to have watched Jake's season and to think: Vienna as F1.
I don't even have to say much more about that. A whole season, and Vienna was the F1...

Our sleuthing shows that they ply these people with alcohol - way too much and even at an inappropriate times. I picked up on an inside that 2 cases of champagne had been delivered for Ali's LCD with Chris ( which didn't get off the ground) at 11:00 AM.
No wonder on the Fantasy Date Ali was climbing all over her F2 and causing all of his fans to declare him the winner! She had zero inhibitions left. That is what they were hoping for on the LDC date as well with all of that champagne during the day.

Watch tiny Ashley and all that alcohol...

They don't let them get enough sleep. They do take after take until they are dead tired. They ask questions until they get the response that they want, and that is the one that we see in the edit.
They suggest very strongly what they are to say..."Talk about so and so..." It may not be scripted per se, but what do you call that?
They tell them to kiss and kiss and kiss.

There has been another confirmation that in part backs up what lithargic says, and would be part of my sleuthing especially as it pertains to the editing, but jlccaz is correct. People want to keep their jobs.
I have been on this board a long time, so you can take that one or leave it, but the edit is wonky because while filming was going on, it just wasn't there.

Therefore, babyface, as politely, as I can, I truthfully answer your question. I do believe that a lot of it upfront is true.


Did they somehow wind up falling for each other, or did they decide they would give it a whirl and see where it goes? Could be...
Will it work?

I have crashed into life a few times too many to say, "Heck yeah!" Brad has some pretty serious emotional baggage, and I believe Chantal is still carrying the hurt and rejection from her previous marriage. She is basically insecure. The edit has made that more than abudantly clear.
They both have too many issues in my opinion for this format, but I guess we will see. Perhaps if they go into serious therapy together they can overcome the issues and the odds of this show, but it will a tremendous struggle for them.

Not only will they have all of their issues, but she will have to uproot from the part of the country from which she is familar and transfer to an entirely different part of the country.
My mother was from Washington State, and she married my father (Mississippi) and moved South with him. My mother never acclimated to the climate.

Anyway, good luck to them. Love is wonderful wherever one can find it. .

[jlccaz]

Where's Ms Froggy when we need her?

She was the pro at the post that cued us all not to take this crap show so seriously. It should be mocked and laughed at!

It is a guilty pleasure/escapism, not a phD dissertation or a management consulting engagement.

It's a produced entertainment which either accomplishes that or not.

Where they make people stand? The F4 plus 1 (the kooky Michelle, Justin, Pot-stirrer person) were precast of necessity as a business matter, and the lead does not usually change his or her mind as a matter of the heart.

Now Obama's birth certificate cover-up ... there's a conspiracy to get into! (tongue in cheek emoticon)

[Bloomers]

The show has us exactly where it wants us. We're not sure who to believe or what to believe.

The "don't believe anything you see," is it that we don't believe Chantal's scenes of passion, "I love you," and frustration with Brad? Or is it that we don't believe the seeming awkwardness between Brad and Emily?

At this point, for many, Chantal being the F1 would shock people and Emily being F1 would surprise others. We just don't know yet which one they want us to feel

In the end, people tend to believe what they want to believe.
A policeman told me once that when interviewing witnesses to a scene of a crime, they don't all see it the same way, yet they were all standing there looking at the same thing!

[Bloomers]

Where's Ms Froggy when we need her?

She was the pro at the post that cued us all not to take this crap show so seriously. It should be mocked and laughed at!

It is a guilty pleasure/escapism, not a phD dissertation or a management consulting engagement.

It's a produced entertainment which either accomplishes that or not.

Where they make people stand? The F4 plus 1 (the kooky Michelle, Justin, Pot-stirrer person) were precast of necessity as a business matter, and the lead does not usually change his or her mind as a matter of the heart.

Now Obama's birth certificate cover-up ... there's a conspiracy to get into! (tongue in cheek emoticon)

Those lawyers just thought they wanted that sweet-looking, little teacher out of the jury pool on the jury for that case. hee, hee

[Chacharo]

Where's Ms Froggy when we need her?

She was the pro at the post that cued us all not to take this crap show so seriously. It should be mocked and laughed at!

It is a guilty pleasure/escapism, not a phD dissertation or a management consulting engagement.

It's a produced entertainment which either accomplishes that or not.

I really miss Froggy on show night. She always had the best zingers while watching the show. Thankfully, Kasha and Noche and others who I can't think of right this moment, are still here on show night and make me crack up ... which is the reason I log into FORT on show night.