The Real Housewives of Orange County--Are we there yet?

Welcome to another episode of the Real Housewives of Orange County. I can't believe next week is the SEASON FINALE. It seems like this season went so fast!! Luckily, the NYC previews look fantastic so my Tuesday nights will still belong to Bravo.

In the latest evolution of Vicki's EMPIRE, she has established "Life with Vicki" and Life stands for "Living Inspired & Fully Engaged." This endeavor includes seminars at sea. I just know that if I were on a boat with Vicki and unable to escape, I'd jump overboard and take my chances in the ocean. Vicki claims she has a gift for teaching others what she knows and anyone who has watched five minutes of this show knows she TEACHES others what she knows constantly because she knows it all.

As if reading my mind, in Jeana's private interview, she says if she were at sea with Vicki, she'd be glad for the small lifeboats because she'd use one to escape (or as she pronounced it, "ixscape.")

"Poor Donn," as I seem to invariably call him...foolishly believes that this cruise isn't just about work, but also about relaxation. Ha ha ha. Donn is seen at the first day's cocktail party, smiling and laughing, but you just know Vicki will SUCK the fun out of the cruise for him. Vicki also mentions that she paid the way of Michael and Michael's friend, Rees, and she sees this cruise as a mentoring opportunity.

This boat has a rock climbing wall and Vicki decides to climb it as an inspiration to Michael--to show him that the sky is the limit. As she watches someone else climbing and propelling back down, she is already shrieking. This oughta be fun. She lectures the guy in charge of holding her rope that she doesn't want to go wild on the way down. Or the way up. He yesses her to death and even after she is ready to start, she continues to tell him how to do his job.

As expected, Vicki shrieks and yells the whole way up. As Rees tells Michael, "This is too good." On a catty note, I hope Vicki doesn't try to use this footage to further the sales of the diet pills she's always hawking on her blog--the short shorts were not very flattering (although, for a woman of 46 or 47, I guess she's not in too bad of shape). As Vicki continues her piercing screams, Michael calls out, "How are your acrylics holding up?" I do not see Michael or Rees being particularly inspired by this activity.

Safely back on solid ground, and chastising the rope holder for letting her come down too fast, Vicki scans the crowd and asks, "Where's Donn? He never saw me climb the wall." Flash to Donn, sitting at the bar, enjoying a Corona with lime...the way a cruise should be enjoyed.

Over at Jeana's, Kara is returning to Berkeley, which provides tons of opportunity to take shots at the bums who live near Berkeley, the people sitting in the trees naked, cafeteria food, and any other criticism that is sure to ingratiate her to her Berkeley neighbors and classmates.

This week Gretchen is in Dallas, Texas to spend some time with her girlfriends from college. Jeff is back in the hospital, which gives Gretchen the opportunity to skip town. I totally defended Gretchen's choice to go to Bass Lake and I was luke warm about her running off to Vegas with the other housewives last week, since Jeff had only just been released from the hospital. It's none of my business, but is going to Dallas to see college friends entirely necessary? Maybe Jeff's kids are still in town and he won't be alone in the hospital, but my "Gretchen-love" has waivered the past few weeks.

For example, in the very first episode, we saw Gretchen and Jeff at the mall jewelry store and Jeff surprised her with a bigger stone for her engagement ring. Since her ring arrived in the mail, the tale has grown that she "designed" her engagement ring! That ring is NOT one of a kind. She may have "chosen" the band or the baguettes, but no way that woman "designed" that ring....

So, back to Dallas, Gretchen and four of her galpals are reliving college memories for the cameras and catching up on who's had babies, etc and Gretchen is just "taking a break from the stress at home." Again. (See, I am bitter...)

Tamra, Ryan, and the smaller Barney kids are off to Cedar Rapids to see/confront Tamra's dad. Simon had to stay home to do some work--which could only mean he's working on selling tequila on the internet. Tamra's dad, Frank, lives with his girlfriend, Amilia, who is NOT the hottest housewife in Cedar Rapids. Dad and Amilia's house was destroyed by the flood so they are in the process of rebuilding and it's a work in progress.

For the 800th time this season, Tamra tearily reminds the viewers that when she was **25**...her dad divorced her mom and six months later, married her mom's best friend and this, somehow, has ruined Tamra's life. I definitely appreciate the irony that by the time Tamra's parents split up, she had gotten married, had Ryan, and gotten her very own divorce. (She also dumped Ryan with her mom and dad, conveniently, when she met Simon, but with that glaring hypocrisy aside, Tamra is clearly pissed about her dad's choices).

Back at Jeana's, Frankie joins the road trip to Berkeley. Kara mugs for the camera that she anticipates it will be an awful seven hour drive from the OC to school. Poor Frankie sits in the backseat as Jeana and Kara trade insults about who is a worse driver (really--it's a tie, they both are apparently terrible drivers).

Back at sea, Vicki and her family are enjoying a nice fancy dinner so Vicki has to ruin it by reminding everyone that it's all about work and she tells Rees and Michael that she expects them to attend all her meetings the following day.

Because all of the other Housewives are out of town, Lynne and her husband, Frank, decide to get away for a romantic weekend and they head to Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego. It just struck me as funny that Lynne and Frank pull up to the fancy hotel in their HONDA, meanwhile, alcoholic, non-working wild child Raquel drives a BMW, courtesy of Mom and Dad. Their room was truly beautiful and when they said "oceanview," it almost had a better view of the ocean than Vicki's cruise.

Frank arranges for a romantic dinner on the balcony and they begin by pondering what "the girls" are doing at home, in their absence. Back at Lynne's house, we see Raquel and Alexa playing cards with Raquel's friend, Ali, whose face is usually blurred out because she participates in Raquel's underaged drinking escapades. I guess she thinks we don't recognize her. The fact that she's not blurry now tips me off that this must be a sober party. In her personal interview, it seems Raquel was counting on having fun while her parents were away, but she was surprised to learn Grandma (Lynne's mom) would be babysitting. GOOD MOVE!

At least Lynne recognizes that her kids need supervision and so far, her mom is doing a better job than she and Frank. Lynne laments how hard it is to raise teenagers, but she is always quick to point out that she was a teenager once, too, and she knows what it's all about. Frank tries to make an analogy about raising kids is a lot like steering a car. That must remind Lynne of something because she interrupts to say she has some bad news about the car to tell him--and you just know that it has to do with Raquel and the car they NEVER should have bought for her. To tell you the truth, after rewinding the DVR three times, I am still not sure what Lynne was saying about the neighbor having a Winnebago and Raquel's rearview mirror tapped something, but some whole piece came off....and as I was trying to get my mind around that description, she throws in, "Oh, and I found cigarettes in Alexa's purse. Again." Huh?

Frank says, "I don't think she smokes," and Lynne agrees, "She must be holding them for someone else." What? Wasn't that a Brady Bunch episode back in the 1970's? Who would HOLD cigarettes for someone else? Especially if this isn't the first time Lynne has found them? Alexa, in her personal interview looks right at the camera and admits, "They didn't belong to any of my friends. They were mine." Alexa seems like such an honest kid. Why are the parents making excuses for Alexa when she doesn't make excuses for herself??

Grandma lets the girls bake cookies and brownies and make milkshakes. They feel like they are in heaven because Lynne is always telling them how fattening food can be and how certain clothes won't fit them if thye eat. I like Lynne, but she should stop throwing her insecurity about weight and food/body image onto her healthy daughters.

Back in San Diego, it's nice to see that Lynne and Frank still have a good marriage after 18 years, but Frank lost me when he asked Lynne to do a pole dance...I failed to notice the stripper pole in their $1800 a night room, mostly because I'm sure there wasn't one.

Enroute to Berkeley, Jeana and Kara stop at Frankie's house of furniture that he uses for staging houses he's trying to sell. He has some really nice pieces!! Anyway, this semester, Kara is living off campus and Jeana feels the need to emphasize how SECURE the building is...again, taking a shot at Berkeley.

At the Osaka Japanese Steakhouse in Cedar Rapids, Tamra is going to dinner with her dad and Amilia and some extended family that she didn't know she had. Nancy is a cousin that Tamra hasn't seen since she was a small child and Tamra says she "fits right in the family." The only resemblance I could notice was bottle blonde. Ryan immediately bonds with long lost cousin Nancy by telling her that lately he's been attracting much older ladies and here's where I saw the family resemblance--Nancy puts her arm around Ryan and draws him close and seductively tells him, "That's because they just want to take care of you." Ryan kisses her on the cheek and Tamra chastises, "RYAN, she's related to you."

Nancy continues by over-sharing, "I like 'em high and tight. That's why women like them young boys." Ryan replies, "I love her." Tamra and her dad look disturbed by that branch of the family tree.

It gets worse. Nancy tells Ryan she has a mouse and she points towards her hip. He asks, "Where?" She repeats, "Right here," as she pulls her shorts further down. Ryan tells Nancy that he doesn't see anything but underwear and classy relative of Tamra announces the punchline...."Pussy must have ate it."

Mortifying as that display was, Tamra uses her personal interview to point out that the age difference between Ryan and Nancy is a good 25 or 27 years. KIND OF LIKE GRETCHEN AND JEFF . Yeah, Tamra, just because you and Gretchen don't have any scenes together this week, clearly you can't get beyond your bitter jealousy of Gretchen--oh, and please note, age difference aside...I am pretty sure that Gretchen and Jeff aren't blood relatives. Nice try on the smoke screen, but it's clear that your son has all kinds of problems!!

Jeana and Kara take some time off from setting up her new (and very SECURE) apartment to tour the streets, in search..apparently...of bums. They walk around and say, "There's one....oh, there's another one."

Somewhere out at sea, it looks like a beautiful, sunny day, but no one at LIFE with Vicki seems to be aware. Nope, Vicki is having her all day meeting indoors and this group might as well be in an elementary school classroom in a landlocked state. What a waste. The funniest part is Vicki bloviating that there are 100 people at the seminar and for the next cruise, they are expecting a minimum of a THOUSAND people...but as the camera pans the meeting room, there appear to be (maybe) eight people attending this boring seminar about Vicki's life as a single mom and how she became an insurance mogul. (Notably absent--Michael and Rees--and actually, anyone related to Vicki).

The audience begins sharing their backgrounds and by far, the best story came from a girl who was a stripper in Las Vegas. *HER* story blew Vicki's right out of the water....literally....but leave it to Vicki to remark, "Well, if you can get one more stripper off those poles, you're doing the right thing."

Gretchen and her girlfriends are meeting for cocktails and two of her friends bring their newborn babies. They discuss Jeff and his health and Gretchen is hopeful that he will get a bone marrow transplant. She adds that although she feels bad leaving when Jeff is sick, he and she decided from day one that he was diagnosed that they would both live their lives to the fullest. That's the first she's mentioned that mantra...seems like she would have thrown it at Tamra at Javier's when Tamra criticized her for going to Bass Lake?

It's Day 3 of Vicki's cruise and people seem to be having fun in the sun on the deck, but Vicki is pushing her own hot air by lecturing her students that "all I do is change lives and give people purpose." My Gosh--she's like the OC version of Mother Theresa!! As Vicki's partner, Mike, drones on about how he met Vicki...most of the class seems catatonic. Vicki scans the room nervously--and clearly--looking for Michael and Rees. During a break, she summons her long suffering assistant, Danielle, to bring Michael to her and Danielle explains that he's wearing a football jersey. Vicki says she doesn't care--he just NEEDS to be at her seminar. In that dark windowless room, damnit!!

At 4:00, as the meeting is wrapping up (and surely, the sun is going down), Michael and Rees show up in basketball clothes and sit in the last row. Passive aggressively, Vicki tells Michael that she hasn't been able to find him all day and he says something about he was busy eating sushi (ha--for 8 hours) and she persists by asking why she couldn't find him and she tells him that she wants him to attend the underwriting seminar, which is coming up and lasts about an hour and Michael is clearly begging off.

Vicki continues to the point of embarrassment of trying to twist his arm--fully aware that it's on camera and expecting Michael to acquiesce. He tells her that she's putting him on the spot and she nods her head and says, "That's what I do." Vicki tries all kinds of guilt, but Michael isn't falling for it. In Vicki's opinion, she's disappointed that her family isn't supporting her business when she feels her business supports all of them.

As Vicki goes into her underwriting meeting, we see Donn, Michael, and Rees at the pool bar. They are comparing notes on how "unsupportive they have been." Michael asks Donn how he escaped going to the meetings and Donn truthfully admits, "I'm probably going to catch the wrath of it later." I'm sure they all will.

In Cedar Rapids, Tamra finally wants to address what she calls her "abandonment issues" because her parents got divorced. When she was 25!! (I can't get over it!!) Tamra and Frank have some alone time by a river with some Coors Lights and Tamra strolls down Memory Lane by recalling what a great dad Frank was when she was a child and played sports and how he'd always come to her games. (Be careful, Frank, she's reeling you into a trap with this crap!!) In Frank's defense, he recalls that Tamra's mom wasn't a happy person and Tamra chimes in that she felt her mom was "emotionally unavailable." I guess it really WASN'T such a shock that Frank left.

With that resolved, Tamra is quick to point out that Frank's second wife (her mom's best friend) didn't like the kids and that left an estrangement, which he readily admits. Tamra turns on the waterworks and I really feel sad. For Frank. It's a no-win situation for him. (Of course, he is divorced from wife number two so I don't understand why she needs to hash this all out with him). Saddest of all, Tamra's final analysis of her father is that "he's weak....he's a weak man." Frank apologizes for allowing his bad decisions get in the way and he reassures a crying (but tear-less) Tamra that he loves her and nothing (and no one) will come between them again.

Jeana's back in the OC and it's her birthday...and this year, she has a DATE! Colton helps her decide on which dress to wear and he's totally supportive of his mom, which is nice. The big surprise is that the guy is Alan, who is the father of one of Shane's teammates and they met during a rain delay at one of the games in Chicago. Alan is from out of town (actually, Texas), but Jeana is okay with that. The show ends with an unnecessary cliffhanger. A stretch limo rolls up and the mystery date is holding red roses, but his face isn't shown. The screen goes to black with big white letters, "TO BE CONTINUED." I'm really glad Jeana has a date, but is it really that suspenseful??

Next week is the season finale....and it looks to be a doozy. Lynne wants Raquel to get a job, Vicki seems to be flirting with a man, right in front of Donn, Gretchen shrieks, which causes Vicki to accuse her of being an attention stealer and I swear I saw....Jo and Slade. Say it ain't so!! Will those two PLEASE get off my television??

The Bachelor--Down to 4 and time for HOMETOWN DATES

I was worried that here on the East Coast, part of the show might be pre-empted by the Presidential Press Conference, but it all worked out and the show started on time. Whew. Before I get to tonight's episode, last week, I posted the Model Mayhem page for Jason's ex wife, Hillary Madison Wynn (or Hilary Buckhotlz-Monrean or Hilary Mesnick?). http://www.modelmayhem.com/710983


I got an email and strangely enough, another contestant from this show is also on the Model Mayhem website and it's Naomi, or Naomi Rose Crespo http://www.modelmayhem.com/745342 The picture at the top of this entry is from that site. I thought Naomi was only a flight attendant. I don't know anything about www.modelmayhem.com, but it sure seems like a small world??

Okay, on to this week's show! I was sad seeing Stephanie's exit replayed. I really wish those two would have had chemistry, but alas, we are down to the final four...Jillian, Melissa, Naomi, and Molly.

Jason is saying goodbye to Ty and packing for his hometown dates. Jason describes Jillian as smart, beautiful, passionate about her career and someone with a great sese of humor. He envisions his life with her would be exciting all the time. He recognizes that she's the backbone of the group, but he noticed that in Seattle, she began to pull away. He remembers that he had his heart broken by Deanna and he doesn't want the same thing to happen again.

When Jason first saw Molly, he recalls that her eyes gave him butterflies. He finds her stunningly gorgeous and he appreciates how she goes after what she wants. He liked their overnight date in the tent and he could see himself spending his life with Molly and it would be non-stop challenges. His concern is that he can't figure out all the depth of Molly and hopes meeting her family will help.

Naomi, according to Jason, is "amazing" and fun. She's free spirited and loves to travel and he says she has a passion for life. He feels she is serious about marriage and that she's open to life. His concern is whether Naomi is actually ready for his life with Ty and whether or not he can clip her wings of free spiritedness.

When Jason first saw Melissa, he didn't take her seriously because she's so beautiful and sweet. Jason says he had sparks with Melissa right away. He was touched by how she cried after the General Hospital date and he looks forward to meeting Melissa's family because he thinks she is "too perfect" and meeting the folks will give him a clear picture of where she came from and maybe what her flaws are.....

Jason is going into the hometown dates knowing that he will be keeping Ty in mind and knowing that his potential wife will have be a big part of Ty's life.

First stop is Kelowna, British Columbia to see Jillian and meet her family. They are both truly happy to see each other. The scenery is beautiful and Kelowna is situated on a lake and Jillian tells him about the myth of a Lochness Monster type creature living in that lake. They tour a winery and then relax by a roaring fire with some red wine. This sets the scene for Jillian's big revelation, which she hopes will help Jason to understand her better.

Back in the 1980's, she says her family was on top of the world and everything was perfect. Her mom was diagnosed with depression that lasted about 15 years. Her parents split up and then when they would get back together, her mom would be so depressed that they would split up again. Her mom tried to take her own life. As a result, her mom was hospitalized for months at a time. She explains how hard it was on her dad and on her, growing up. Somehow, in the past few years, something changed and her mom is better.

Jason is really understanding and tells her that he has some of that in his family. It explains to him why Jillian is the rock she is for all the other girls.

Jason and Jillian arrive at her parents' house. Her dad (Glen) and mom (Peggy) are holding a Canadian flag and her cousin (Tori) and cousin's boyfriend (Charles) are holding welcome signs. They all seem really happy to meet Jason and make him feel at home. An awkward conversation about the "hotdog theory" is rehashed, but thankfully, ends quickly.

The group sit down to dinner and Jillian notes that there is a great energy of everyone wanting to talk and get to know each other. After some small talk, Jillian's mom asks to make a toast and she reads a really nice and heartfelt poem she wrote to Jill. Immediately after, Mom asks to see Jason outside. She wants to have a talk with him and find out what he's about.

Out on the deck, she says she has a few questions and pulls out a sheet of paper which is about 25 feet long! She asks about marriage and how he handles conflict. After he answers she says, "You have your BA in Psychology," and he looks surprised that she knows and says yes. She laughs and replies, "Good to have in the family." It's nice that she can make light of the mental illness in her past.

Back inside, Jillian is chatting with her cousin, Tori, and saying how she's connected with Jason.

Mom admits her depression to Jason and compliments Jillian on her strength and depth. Jason asks Mom for her advice on keeping a marriage together. Despite their problems, Glen and Peggy have stayed together. Mom clearly likes Jason and she tells Jillian that she approves. Jillian tells her mom that she really feels Jason is the one.

Glen and Jason have a little one-on-one time in the garage and it's clear that Jillian's parents adore her. Grandma makes a surprise visit and Jillian is so happy to see her. Grandma thinks Jason is "beautiful." She's quite a character. She says that if Jillian didn't get married, she would have taken her to Northern Alberta and married her off to some Ukranian! Grandma comes bearing gifts--she has boxers for Jason with Canadian maple leaves. Jason appreciates the family sense of humor. All too soon, it's time for him to leave. The bar has been set high, says Jason, because he can't imagine a date with a family that could be so much fun.

Molly is at a Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan waiting for Jason. Molly has said that she won't date in a guy in the future that her parents don't approve of and she makes it a point to reiterate this fact. She and Jason go golfing because Molly explains that golf is an important family pasttime and based on her preppy argyle vest and upturned collar, I believe her. Luckily, Jason is a decent golfer. At a picnic after golf, Molly says she's proud to be bringing Jason home.

Molly's mom and dad meet them at the front door and sit down for a short conversation about golf, that leads to Jason mentioning Ty. Molly's mom (Maryann) says she wants to do something and leaves the room and re-enters with hats for everyone. Jason's is an Indian head dress. Molly's sister, Katie, arrives with her husband, Nick, and they, too, don hats from Maryann's hat box. Her mom's kookiness continues as she takes Jason into another room to "draw a picture for Molly of your most favorite memory of her face." Bizarre. He drew Molly's face as he sees it at every rose ceremony--green eyes and a big smile.

Molly has a little alone time with her dad and he tells her that he's not surprised she's made it so far because she's a winner and he makes her promise that if she does get eliminated, to get into the limo and NOT cry.

Molly's mom watches poor Jason as he draws. Apparently, Jason has passed Mom's hazing. Because he wore the head dress and drew, she feels he has passed the test. They present the drawing to Molly and shockingly, the date is over. No dinner? I guess they spent so much time golfing that the day seemed like it went quickly. Molly leaves him in the driveway and Jason feels the date couldn't have gone better and he hates saying goodbye to Molly because he can't get enough of her and he knows that he won't be seeing her for a while.

In Lake Elsinore, Calif, Naomi is waiting for Jason to arrive. She expresses how important it is to show Jason that she's ready to be married and settled down. They have mimosas and Naomi brings up their previous conversation about Jason's doubts that she's ready to be part of his family. Jason believes that she believes it. They head to her parents house. In her voiceover, Naomi says she's worried about what her mother might have up her sleeve, but apparently, she didn't warn Jason. Her parents are divorced and she's hoping her parents will get along. Mom breaks out a bunch of hula hoops and Naomi's huge family all tries to hula hoop and Jason struggles with it.

Next, mom tells a long story about hitting a dove with her car and the dove killed itself (?)... and to the surprise of everyone, the dove is in the refrigerator, in a bag. Jason does his best to keep it together, but he looks mortified. Naomi's mom wants to bury the dove and she wants Jason to say the eulogy.

In his voiceover, Jason points out that Naomi's mom killed a dove--the symbol of peace and freedom--and now they are about to have a burial for that dove. Naomi's mom, for some reason, refers to the dove as "Rosie." They dig a very shallow hole and Jason places Rosie's bag into it.

In the house, Jason has a little talk with Hector, Naomi's dad in a family room full of slot machines. Hector goes where no one should go--RELIGION! Despite his own divorce, Hector expounds on "the Lord" and "His" role in marriage. I know I read somewhere that Jason is Jewish, but not devout so this conversation must have been uncomfortable. Before it gets COMPLETELY awkward, Naomi's mom, Joanne, interrupts. She has a glass of wine in her hand and asks if she can speak with Jason alone.

Jason sums it up in his voiceover by saying, "Today I learned that Hector loves Jesus!! He takes funerals, dying, and Jesus more seriously than Joanne does."

Joanne says she wants to do something unique and Jason reminds her that they kind of already had that (with the hoola hoops and the dove burial). Joanne tells him that stuff was nothing..that was FUN STUFF....she wants to talk about premonitions and psychic stuff. She teaches him about "Indigo children" and righting injustices. She says that from the moment she saw Jason's picture, she believes she knew him from a past life. She believes Jason had at least one lifetime.....as a MOM!

Naomi has a chat with her dad and he informs her that he spoke with Jason about their faith in God. Naomi tells Hector that she doesn't care if Jason shares her faith. She says she wants the family she never had, which is kind of sad to tell her dad. In her voiceover, Naomi expresses that she wishes she had discussed religion with Jason before he visited because it's so important to her dad. Actually, I think she should have done a whole lotta explaining to Jason before he walked into this mine field of craziness.

Naomi and Jason spend some time chasing around what appear to be her nieces and nephews and Jason reflects that her family is fun--and out there, in some ways--but he thinks there is a lot of love. He likes watching Naomi with the kids because it helps him to visualize her with a family. Finally--with the dove funeral, Jesus talk, past lives, etc, behind him...it's time for his visit to end. The visit, for Naomi, confirms that she is falling in love with him.

For the final hometown date, Jason heads to Dallas to meet Melissa's family, but there is a glitch. Jason and Melissa look extremely happy to see each other and Melissa presents Jason with something she made for Ty--a tooth fairy box. As they sit on a picnic blanket, Melissa confesses the problem. Jason will be meeting some of her closest friends. Her family is opposed to what she terms the "publicness" of the show and her dad feels it's too special of a meeting and with cameras, he couldn't be himself. Jason asks Melissa how she feels about that and Melissa admits she's upset. She says she even asked her brother to meet Jason and he declined.

In Jason's voiceover, he expresses his disappointment and how important her family is to making his decision. In fact, last week, as Stephanie left, she implored him to pay attention to the family dates because that will be the FAMILY he is marrying.

They drive to the home of her friend Stephanie and her husband, Joe and also there are her friend, Morgan, her husband, Jason, and their two kids. Despite not meeting Melissa's family, he's open to whatever happens.

The group sits outside to have dinner and Melissa mentions that she never brings guys home ot meet her family OR her friends. Her friends are pretty protective of her and they joke about her being the fifth wheel.

Jason plays pool with the husbands as Melissa sits with her girlfriends. The husbands tell Jason that in past relationships, Melissa's boyfriends would rather spend time with the guys than with her and the husbands definitely want someone better for her. Next, Jason meets with the wives and he tells them that he's disappointed that he didn't get to meet Melissa's parents. They don't know Melissa's parents too well so they can't really fill him in. He seems a little troubled that even her best friends don't know Melissa's family.

After they leave the friends' house, Jason and Melissa go back to her hotel suite for a nightcap and she explains that her parents never even went to her Dallas Cowboy games when she was a cheerleader. They are apparently very private. She says she is nuturing like her mom and she inherited her dad's adventurous side. They drink wine and make out--so although Jason didn't meet her family, of all the dates, Melissa definitely had the most one-on-one time with him.

Jason returns to Seattle to make his decision of which three girls will stay and who will be sent hoome. Chris Harrison stops by to dish the dates and let Jason talk out the hometown visits.

Jason says Canada was beautiful and Jillian opened up to him and showed him where she came from. He needed to understand the depth and after Jillian explained her family to him, he was relieved. He thinks she is a carbon copy of her dad. In the wrap up, he tells Chris that he and Jillian definitely have a connection, but he wonders... is that enough?

Jason said Molly's hometown was fun and he appreciated that she never brought guys home. Meeting her family showed Jason who Molly is--her dad is conservative, but her mom has the wacky side. His final analysis is that as much as he completely adores Molly, he wonders if she is completely ready.

As Chris begins the lead in to Lake Elsinore, Jason breaks into a smirk because meeting Naomi's family wasn't what Jason expected. Although Naomi had said her mom was quirky, he recounted the burial of Rosie, the dove. He says Naomi's mom is one of the most "unique" people he's ever met. He concludes that he thinks Naomi he's someone who might settle in his life, but after a while, would she need to spread her wings?

Jason tells Chris that he had looked forward to meeting Melissa's family in Dallas, but he saw a part of her world by meeting her close friends. He was definitely disappointed not meeting the family and he's unsure how he can make the decision with that puzzle piece missing.

Jason thought it would be easier to make the decision after the hometown dates, but of course, it will be THE TOUGHEST DECISION YET. Jason says he has a million things running through his mind and he knows he will hurt someone with his choice.

For the rose ceremony, everyone is back at The Fairmont in Seattle. He says this past week was, by far, one of the best of his life and he thanks each of the ladies for having him into their homes. He recalls details of each of the dates fondly.

The first rose goes to Molly. The next rose goes to Jillian and the final rose goes to Melissa. Jason walks Naomi out and they stop on a couch and talk. Jason says he's sorry and it's not about her family because he says they are "amazing." In his heart, he thinks they are in different places. It was really classy how he told her that it was no fault of hers....and she told him that she wishes him all the best. In the limo, Naomi is still pleading her case that she is ready for marriage. She says she let her guard down and she got hurt and right now, she is better off on her own because she doesn't know where to go from here.

Back in the hotel, Jason shares a glass of champagne with Melissa, Molly, and Jillian and he tells them that he's taking them to New Zealand for their overnight dates.

I have been meaning to link Chris Harrison's blog. He gives some good detail about behind-the-scenes kind of stuff and insider info. Enjoy! http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/02/chris-harrison.html

Okay, and to add to the strangeness of Melissa's family *not* agreeing to the hometown date, someone just send me an email with a link to site called "Men of Note" and it's men who do singing Valentine stuff. One of these men, who appears in 4 pictures on this website, is a guy who goes to people's homes and sings...and supposedly, is Melissa's dad, Bob Rycroft. If you open this link and go to pages 5 and 6, he's the taller gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a beard. I'm not intimating that the family is avoiding the show, but I got the impression that the family was private and singing to strangers, for me, is a little outside the definition....http://www.menofnote.org/voice/Vo200502.pdf

The City-- "Mingling with the Commoners" Episode 8

If you are looking for the episode online, I believe MTV posts it on their site the day following the original broadcast. Try here: http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/the-city/videos-full-episodes.jhtml

Before this episode even started, I knew I wouldn't be thrilled. I am, admittedly, not Jay's biggest fan and this week, the emphasis is on Jay and his band. They have a show coming up and Whit pre-warns us that "Jay's world and Olivia's world just don't mix. "

A very staged conversation opens this episode. Whit and Jay are sitting in a restaurant, with a scripted back and forth about Jay's upcoming gig at The Cutting Room. Jay is nervous because everyone will be coming to see them and Whitney says she's excited. On Whitney's guest list is Erin and her ex boyfriend, JR. She adds that she's mentioned the show to Olivia and when Jay seems reluctant, she explains that she's talked about Jay so much that it will give her a chance to "show him off." Jay offers to cordone off a little area for Olivia so she doesn't have to mingle with the commoners. Good suggestion. You know how Olivia feels about those "downtown" types.

Flash to a stick-thin Olivia navigating her way to "La Goulue" on the Upper East Side, where we'd expect an Uptown Social like Olivia to actually live. Nevan, decked out in a tee shirt, is at a table to meet Olivia, so she can rib him for his fashion choices. Nevan greets Olivia with a flirty, "Hey, babe," but she puts him in check and reminds him that as his COUSIN, he probably shouldn't refer to her as babe. I guess Olivia is against "kissing cousins." Good to know.

Olivia tells Nevan that Whitney has invited her to hear Jay's band play and she wonders what she's gotten herself into. Nevan gives Olivia some advice about hearing the band--smile and clap--and Olivia rolls her eyes at the thought of beoming the band's new groupie. They envision Olivia in some "sweaty hipster" hangout and laugh. Olivia tells Nevan that the girls will be coming over the apartment so she needs him to not be there. Nevan praises Olivia for doing her good deed of the day.

Whit and Erin hail a cab to Olivia's and Erin tells her that JR will be meeting up with them. She also mentions that she told JR about Duncan (the visiting boyfriend from a few weeks ago) and she says JR's face just dropped. JR is, apparently, Erin's benchmark boyfriend, the one against all future boyfriends will be measured. Erin says she hopes she and JR never have the "I miss you and want you back" conversation, although she clearly feels that way because it's shitty timing.

Olivia is fluffing pillows when the girls arrive and she and her dog, Mr Butler, let the girls in so they can get a gander of her HUGE walk in closet. Perfect hostess, Olivia, offers the girls some champagne, but Whitney declines because they are in a hurry (which makes me wonder why they stopped at Olivia's at all). Olivia makes a snide remark that Jay's band won't start until they arrive and Whitney looks stressed.

As Jay is shown at The Cutting Room telling friends that he's sure Whitney is on her way, we see the girls back at Olivia's, champagne in hand, as Olivia debates what she is going to wear for the evening. Ha ha ha. Erin and Whit note how late it's gotten and back at The Cutting Room, Jay tells his bandmate (Pottsy....I am *not kidding*) that Whit is still not there and they agree that they can't keep everyone waiting and begin playing.

Finally, after Olivia changes her blazer and Erin and Whit put the rush on...the girls leave for the concert. Jay and his band, Tamarama, are in full swing. An awkward Olivia sways to the music and keeps bumping into the girl next to her. JR catches up with Erin. Olivia thanks the girls for coming to her apartment, but is met with awkward silence in return.

The set ends and Jay leaves the stage to greet Whitney. Olivia says good night and when Jay thanks her for coming, she says, "I tried." Erin tells Samantha that "on a scale of one to ten, this is a 9.5 awkward," about hanging out with JR because he told a mutual friend that he still has feelings for her. When we last saw him, he was fleeing her apartment after spending the night and giving a very non-comittal, "I'll text you," but whatever. Whitney grabs Erin so they can go to the ladies room and Whitney shares that Jay and his bandmates weren't pleased that she showed up so late. (That's the problem with being passive aggressive--she should have said something to Olivia IMMEDIATELY when they got to her apartment).

Jay joins the conversation outside the ladies room and Erin apologizes for their late arrival and Jay replies, "What do you expect when you hang out with people like that?? Why don't we just forget about it? Let's go and hang out..." Erin diffuses the tension by suggesting they make it up with a round of tequila shots and Jay says, "Done." The tension seems to disappear. I have no idea why their tardiness is being pinned on Olivia, but I guess it's okay since she's already gone and not there to point out that no one verbalized they were in much of a rush...


At work the next morning at DVF, Whitney asks Olivia if she had a good time at the concert and although Olivia says, "Oh, totally," her facial expression is completely blank. Whitney reiterates that she felt bad because they were totally late (how this matters AFTER the fact is beyond me). Olivia tells Whitney that her girlfriend, Theresa, is doing a charity for "New York Cares" where each person invited brings a coat and all the coats are donated to the homeless. She namedrops that Brooke Shields will be there...and then informs Whit that Theresa's intended band fell through so she suggested Jay and hooked him and his band up with a gig!! Whitney looks like a deer caught in the headlights and she says, "I'm sure that will mean a lot to him."

Back at home, Whit delivers the good news to Jay. The charity event is going to be at the Gansevoort Hotel, which is way cool, but Jay seems a bit apprehensive since this is all coming from Olivia. Whitney tries to portray it as Olivia's way of making up for their being late to his concert. When Jay asks if Olivia even knows how to book a band, Whitney confesses that she doesn't know any of the details. She imagines it will be an intimate gathering and that it's just Olivia's way of helping. Jay mocks Olivia's crowd by wondering if it will be a "Neil Diamond/ Sweet Carloine" type of crowd and he suggests that they bring Nevan up on stage as he obseves that Nevan never stops talking...they have a few laughs at Olivia's expense and Jay reluctantly agrees to give it a shot.

Erin and JR meet up for dinner at the Antique Garage in SoHo and JR points out that although they have been apart for quite a while, things seem to be picking up right where they left off. Although they are both smiling and happy, Erin tells JR that his timing is shitty and he suggests they play it by ear. (By all accounts, though, when last we saw Duncan, Erin was ushering him into a taxi and telling him not to move to NYC from Canada just to be with her. It was more than awkward and I'd be surprised if they were still together after that little bon voyage).

JR says their relationship is still where his heart is, to which Erin replies, "I don't know." This catches JR off guard. He asks if Duncan knows they are having dinner together..with candles...? I guess Erin's juggling act is a new storyline.

Later, at Erin's apartment, Whitney and Samantha are visiting and catching up on Erin's "complicated" lovelife. On one hand, she is off to see JR where he is bartending at Brother Jimmy's and yet, when she talks to Duncan, it just makes her really upset. She says Duncan has been so perfect and so supportive, but of course, he's far away. On the other hand, she's seeing a lot of JR (ahem) and she notes that they did always talk about getting back together. Whitney counsels Erin to just go and see JR and get some free drinks out of it. She's sold on the idea of free drinks and admits that she would "totally suck JR's face tonight" because she's "feeling saucy." She must have been a lot more than saucy when she allowed JR to spend the night last week....

Suddenly, we're at Hotel Gansevoort. I don't know why there was no further mention about the charity event, but apparently, the big night is here. The room is packed with people and Olivia is going around introducing herself to everyone. Nevan appears and asks if they should sit to watch the band. Whitney thinks they wouldn't have a good vantage point from the seating so Olivia and Nevan wander off to a table without her.

Over at Brother Jimmy's, Samantha and Erin are having a drink and Erin is wishing she didn't have a boyfriend. She claims to be "officially and royally confused." Sounds like manufactured drama to me since it's apparent that she wants to get back together with JR.

Back at the Hotel Gansevoort, Olivia and Nevan are critiquing Jay's band. Nevan astutely points out that Hotel Gansevoort is a glossy high end place and Jay is wearing a plaid flannel shirt onstage. He mocks that maybe after the performance, the band should be clearing the forest in the Yukon, based on their apparel. Olivia says she told them "cocktail attire," so clearly they aren't dressed appropriately. Nevan continues his bashing.

The set ends and Jay jumps off the stage and towards Whitney. Somehow, Nevan is directly behind Whitney when Jay says, "Get me out of this fucking place." Nevan is shocked. As they walk away, he adds, "And keep fucking Bevan away from me." Maybe it was Nevan's remark, "GO COMMODORES," when the music stopped?

Olivia tells one of her friends that she thinks she saw Jay just leave, without saying good bye and she thinks it's disrespectful. Nevan counters with, "Well what do you expect from the plaid mafia? You're going to get what you're going to get." For all his flaws (and legal woes), Nevan also points out that he would never roll out without saying good bye. He is clearly a prince among men.

Over at Brother Jimmy's, JR is on a break so he goes to the other side of the bar to ask Erin what's bothering her. She takes JR outside and she bursts into tears trying to explain that being with JR is what she thought she wanted, but Duncan is the first guy she has dated, since JR, that she likes. JR tries to get clarification, but the only thing Erin knows is that she just doesn't know...

The next morning at work, Olivia asks Whitney what she thought about the charity event and Whitney gets uppity and tells Olivia that it was rude to sit in the back and for Nevan to be making fun of the band. Olivia takes no responsibility for Nevan's actions and explains that it was an upscale event and the band should have been wearing suits. Whitney tries to plea that Jay doesn't go to these types of events and didn't know better. Olivia tensely asks why Jay left without a single thank you and Whitney says he didn't feel he owed anything to anyone since no one was paying attention anyway. LAME!! Olivia goes for the jugular by replying that it was just insecurity on Jay's part and shuts down the conversation by saying it's not the time nor place for this type of discussion and in the future, she plans to keep their work environment and their friendship totally separate.

**I truly cannot believe that I read this show is being picked up for a second season! Tonight's episode is a prime example of why this show does not work. Erin's storyline is a snooze-fest. Angst over losing a boyfriend she told to, basically, get lost and reuniting with an ex she has already slept with in last week's episode? "Laguna Beach" had more compelling drama and that was about high school juniors and seniors.

The rift between "socialite" Olivia and Jay? Puh-lease!! Olivia got a bum rap for Whitney's own inability to get to Jay's concert on time. NO ONE should be wearing a plaid flannel shirt to Gansevoort Hotel and even though Nevan was immature, Jay owed Olivia a big thank you for trying to help him and his band to gain recognition. Instead of storming out of the charity event, Jay should have just asked Nevan about his run in with the prostitute he tried to hire in Palm Beach, Florida last year and how was his experience with being locked up and why hasn't he completed his community service? THAT would have shut him up...but really, Nevan is just comical and I don't know why Jay chose to be insulted by his silly comments.

I know these MTV "reality shows" are totally fake, but since that's true, why not write these storylines better? The shots of NYC are gorgeous, but the characters just put me to sleep. With Manhattan as a backdrop, is this the best the writers can do?

The upside of this episode was: NO ALLIE, one brief sighting of Adam, at Jay's first concert, and I am always happy for some Nevan snark.

Downside: No Kelly Cutrone....Erin's indecisiveness is annoying, Jay's band sucks, and Whitney needs a backbone.

Next week on "The City," Olivia is cracking the whip on Nevan about getting a job, Duncan (and his grizzly beard) return to NYC and Erin is still confused, Duncan and JR come face to-face and Duncan lays down the law with Erin that he wants no part in a love triangle. Jay advises Adam that he doesn't think Adam and Allie should be living together so Adam gives him the boot from the apartment. With a New Year's Eve backdrop, Jay tells Whitney that he'd be most comfortable staying with her. We also see Erin, in tears, saying, "I miss him," but naturally, we have no idea which guy she is referring to.....