The Final 6! The Bachelor recap Week 7

First things first- what the hell, ABC?!  Are you not aware that Sunday night of the long weekend offered some of the best TV of the year and I can't simply pass up a 3.5h SNL 40th year special just because Chris is bringing a few girls to Iowa.  Come on now...

We're getting down to crunch time.  Chris is starting to develop really strong relationships with most of the girls and then there are some floaters like Megan.  She's a great gal and, unlike lots who have been in that situation before her, she was honest with herself and honest with Chris about not feeling a strong connection.  She wasn't there to "win.  It's way harder to have that tough conversation than to keep acting like it might happen so koodoos to her.

There's still going to be a rose ceremony even though Megan sent herself home??  Jade seems like the odd girl out.  She's a lot quieter and seems less sure of herself than the other girls.  That being said, maybe that's a good thing as she can fit herself into Chris' life a little easier.  Oh- just kidding.  No rose ceremony...  carry on.

"WE'RE GOING TO IOWA!" said nobody ever while jumping up and down.  Usually the Bachelor/Bachelorette only takes the contestants home if there is a child involved.  Remember when Nikki had to go to Camilla's dance recital and sit beside Juan Paoblo's baby momma?  Awkwaaarddd...

With the exception of the girls being jealous of Britt, it seems as though everyone is getting along well and they want good things for each other.

Jade is picked for the first one-on-one and she gets invited to spend the day in Chris' home"town" of Arlington.  "So much corn.  Oh- ducks!  Hmmm... a dirt road.  Wild grass.  Holy shit, this is happening."  - Jade's reaction to driving into Arlington.  

If you ever drive into a town and see a sign like this (see above), turn around.  I come from a small town but at least we're the "Balsam Fir Christmas Tree Capital of the World".  That's big time.  If your new boyfriend's town doesn't brag about being the home of something, that's a red flag.  Geez, Arlington- just make something up!

Chris has such pride in his life and his work.  It's really nice to see him in his element and now I understand the importance of bringing the girls home.  The glitz and glam (of Santa Fe and Deadwood...) got stripped away and they're left with the real Chris.  Which is what they'll have when this whole thing is over.  I hate it when I see douches like Juan Paoblo who think they're sooo cool after their seasons although some former Bachelor/Bachelorettes have done great things with their new found celebrity status.  Take Ali for instance- that girl is killing it now.  It's safe to say, Chris will not be reporting live from the red carpet any time soon and the girls need to know they probably won't either (ehem... Britt...).

Speaking of Britt- shut uppppp.  She's such a whiner and is the epitome of the girl who is looking to "win" rather than establish a future with someone.  

This date is huge for Jade.  Chris is so open and relaxed showing Jade around.  I think he's nervous about how the girls will react to Arlington and rightfully so.  That place is rough!

I'm really curious to see Jade's hometown.  She is lacking a certain confidence and it sounds like there are some skeletons in her closet.  That being said, she may be the best personality to fit into a quieter lifestyle and she could probably really benefit from his close-knit family and community.

Whitney is picked for the second one-on-one and they head to the "big city" of Des Moine.  She really has such a great spirit and energy.  She's upbeat and positive but genuine and smart.  She's always up for anything.  Hearing Whitney speak about the death of her mom was refreshing in a weird way.  She really opened up but talked about what a blessing her mom was and how important family is to her because of everything she's gone through.  She wasn't looking for sympathy and it said a lot about her strength and outlook on life.

Meanwhile, the rest of the girls take a roadtip to Arlington to check things out.  Kaitlyn's Anchorman reference "It's quite pungent.  It stings the nostrils" is everything.  She just scored so many points with me.

Whitney and Chris leave the restaurant to find a huge mural of themselves outside on the restaurant wall.  Well...  I guess Chris can never take another date there...

Jade confides in Carly that she has posed nude for Playboy.  As a result, Jade's Twitter following just skyrocketed with boyfriends and husbands of Bachelor viewers.  Imagine your dad found out that you did nude photoshoots for Playboy from his buddies?!  Yikes!  

The group date takes Carly, Kaitlyn and Britt to the nearest hockey arena.  I like when guys have dates that show their vulnerabilities a bit.  The group date was great because Chris couldn't skate so the girls didn't have to worry about looking silly if they couldn't either.  

Chris is totally drunk on Britt.  He can't possibly picture being in Arlington with her.  That being said, he must really respect Carly because, when he pulled Britt aside for the second time, he did ask the hard  questions.  Her answers sucked and had nothing to do with making a life together with Chris.  

I'm trying to figure out who is going to have the craziest family during hometowns.  Kaitlyn made a comment about being nervous about her dad which gives me flashbacks to past seasons when dads have shown off their gun collections.  Does Chris have a passport to get into Canada?

All of the girls are really different from one another so it's interesting to see their relationships with Chris change and grow.  The hometowns, as always, are so important and will give Chris some insight.  Did Britt just say they have dinner in the living room on paper plates and eat bits and pieces of each other's meals?  Chris has been really open sharing his family and lifestyle so going home with the girls will help make things a bit more clear.

Britt...  didn't I tell you to shut uppppp before?  It's the Bachelor.  Your boyfriend is going to be dating many other women.  She acts like she's being victimized when Chris shows the other girls attention.  Chris is realizing that she is a lot to handle and I hope the spell she has on him will be broken before the rose ceremony.

The preview for tonight's episode shows Chris with Becca, Kaitlyn and Jade in their hometowns which leaves Whitney, Carly and Britt up in the air.  What are your thoughts?  Who are your favorites?  Who will leave Iowa broken hearted?  Leave your comments below!

Rivals, Country Songs and Crocodile Tears- Bachelor Recap Week 6

Ei yai yai!  Things are certainly heating up with the ladies as Week 6 sheds the light on who is making it, who is faking it and how big of a mouth Chris has.

Last week was a cliff-hanger although every preview showed Kelsey rolling around on the floor saying "I can't breathe".  Girl- if you are talkin', you're breathin'.  I don't necessarily think she was faking.  She clearly has some issues with expressing herself in appropriate ways but, that being said, I don't believe she was in a crisis situation that constituted flailing on the floor needing oxygen.  Asking for Chris when she was in that predicament is ridiculous.  The last thing I would want my new boyfriend to see is me in the middle of a panic attack getting attended to by medics.

As expected, KardAshley was super mean about the whole thing.  I would be rolling my eyes and hoping Kelsey didn't get a rose too but Ashley just needs to shush those massive over-done lips.





On to the cocktail hour or, as Chris says- "cacktail".  Chris is really not the most expressive fellow.  His mini rants make so sense and the girls stand there with looks on their faces as though they have NO idea what he's talking about.

I can't believe Samantha got sent home.  Mostly because I keep forgetting she's there and then the camera shows her 1/2 a time per episode and I'm like- "Oh yeah- Sam's a person".  So mostly, I can't believe there's a girl named Sam on the show.  It's also a shame about MacKenzie- her hair was just starting to get settled.

L.A. MacKenzie

Santa Fe MakKenzie

As the girls continue to get stamps on their passports... oh wait- they haven't left the midwest yet... Chris admits "I'm not into drama.  I'm just looking to have a bit of fun.  That's why we're coming to Deadwood".  How romantic.

Becca needs a chance to push her way up to the top and she finally gets her one-on-one.  She seems like a cool girl and actually way prettier when she's dressed down.  I think it will be a great change of pace for Chris after all of the craziness going on as of late.

When Becca tells Chris that she's insecure about communication in relationships, Chris assures her that he's a really good communicator.  Let's take a look at how effective his communication has been with Britt:

  

This season is making virgins out to be people who can't touch a member of the opposite sex or show affection to someone they like.  At least Becca isn't making a big deal about it to Chris but her interviews make her seem a bit confused on where her "line" is.  Chris was a gentleman for giving her a peck when he gave her the rose but I'm glad she went back in for more and got the full on make-out.

The group date really was the "most shocking date ever" but the element of surprise had nothing to do with the girls.  The real shocker was finding out Big & Rich are potentially still relevant in the country music world.  I watched John Rich on Celebrity Apprentice and he killed it raising a bazillion dollars for his charity and being an all-around great contestant.  He must have really connected with Gary Busey off camera that same season because "Big" of Big & Rich is Busey in a crazy hat.  

Big & Rich (or is it Gary Busey and John Rich?! Right??)

The girls are tasked to write and perform a love song.  This date definitely brought out some insecurities in some of the girls but showed a light-hearted and fun side to others.  Jade has clearly never listened to country music before as she said "It's hard to write a love song when he's clearly into someone else"  Ummm...  hello- every achy breaky song in country music history has that exact scenario.  You can't script broken heart and torn emotion better than that.

Carly sings for a living but her performance was only slightly less awkward than when her brother, Zak, sang to Des at The Men Tell All but way less awkward than when Kasey sang a capella to Ali . Let's relive.  My favorite part is at 0:36 followed closely by 1:00-1:01.  Wasn't this the date where he didn't get the rose and she left him alone on a mountain?

Quick update- Kasey is now a bar brawler.  http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/05/vienna-girardis-ex-kasey-kahl-will-serve-180-days-community-service-for-12-bar-brawl/

Jade is the first girl to talk to Chris about how shes can see herself in Iowa and living the Farmer's Wife life.  I think she is really into Chris and but her feelings may be blinding her a little bit.  She moved from a small town to L.A. to pursue modelling and start a cosmetics line and she shouldn't abandon that for the possibility of love. 

  

Britt and Chris are so ridiculously attracted to each other.  They can't keep their hands (or their lips) to themselves.  That being said, the attraction seems really shallow and surface.  They haven't really gotten to know one another because they spend all their time sucking face and having outlandish dates.  She will definitely be the girl who the winner of this season is jealous of for all eternity and will never allow Chris to interact with her again.

The folks at ABC must have called the producers from Millionaire Matchmaker because these girls are looking awfully sober lately.  Patti has a strict 2 drink minimum which is great advice in the real world but horrible advice when you're supposed to be entertaining millions of people for two hours every Monday night.  Less articulating your feels in a clear way; more drunken blubbering!

Chris runs off to a Big & Rich concert with Britt while the other girls wait around for over an hour.  When they return, the ladies are piisssssed and with reason.  Chris gets to just pop by, make things really awkward then ditch Britt to deal with everyone.  At least give Britt the rose then send the other girls home to continue the night with a one-on-one.  Don't leave the other girls sitting there waiting.  

Classic two-on-one date scenario- rivals!  The Bachelor has a tendency, more so than The Bachelorette, to put rivals together on group dates or, even more heartbreaking, best friends!  Who could forget Ashley S. and Ashley H. during Brad's season.  Luckily, neither one of them ended up with Brad since he's a greasy doucheball.

I wonder what Kelsey will think when she watches herself back.  In my experience, those who spend all their time talking about how smart they are, aren't that smart.  Kelsey comes across incredibly condescending and has obviously rubbed everyone the wrong way.  My first impression of her was positive.  In her attempt to come across strong, poised, articulate and intelligent, she actually makes herself look judgmental, self-important and uppity.  Her laugh is the true tell-tale sign of being coo-coo pants.  Imagine sitting near Kelsey and Chris at a funny movie...

Again with the "drop me off and kill me locations".  Laying on a weird bed in the middle of the Badlands on a windy day is a scratched retina waiting to happen.

Ashley was really dumb for dishing all that dirt on Kelsey to Chris.  Never actually tell The Bachelor what's going on in the house!!  Spend the time talking about your own feelings and your own relationship with him; not about anyone else.

Kelsey doesn't have discussions- she lectures.  She's a know-it-all and I don't think she listens to anyone.  Did she say Ashley is someone she can trust and is friends with?  She was mortified that Ashley was talking smack about her to Chris which is to be expected.

It is really shitty of Chris to keep telling the girls what the other ones said.  "I couldn't lie about it"- yeah but you could tell her that you don't want to throw someone else under the bus.  

I don't think Chris has really liked Kelsey or Ashley I. that much.  They're both obviously a ton of drama and way too much work for him.  It's a huge red flag for any guy when a girl can't get along with others.  Lots of the girls in the house have problems with Kelsey but they aren't mean about it.

Surprise surprise- they both get dumped and Kelsey is left sitting on the bed by herself as the helicopter picks up Brad and flies away.  "Where's Ashley?", you ask.  Oh- she's been sitting on a hill crying the entire time.   As the chopper takes off, Kelsey gets up and runs into the desert.  Clearly the same producers as in Ali's season.  (see video of Kasey above).  I'd be like "Ummm... Chris- do you mind if I take this one?  Wait- do Ashley and Kelsey have to share a ride back?!  Has Ashley been seen since?

Meanwhile, back at the house, the girls popped a bottle of champagne and jumped around with joy when they saw Kelsey's suitcase being taken away.  It may be all nicey nicey for now but I'm sure next week will prove to bring out more claws yet fewer fake eyelashes.

Like what you see?  Be sure to comment below or join the conversation on Twitter @midtowndiaries.

Getting saucy now! Getting the most flavour out of your weekend meal

I don't know about you but I've gotten into the habit of making the same food the same way over and over, week after week.  T and I make a meal plan every Saturday and go shopping for everything we need.  I like mixing things up and not having a rotation but it's hard coming up with new ideas that are easy to execute after a long day.

Lately, I've been keeping with the quick-and-easy theme but introducing new flavours (to my American readers- that's flavor) with one easy trick- sauces!  My old pal Pinterest makes coming up with new recipes a cinch.  You can search your protein and then type in ingredients you have in your pantry or fridge already.  For example, I had pork chops but was tired of my usual seasoning so I entered "best pork chop sauce" into the search bar and got this recipe for chops with a sweet & sour glaze.

Easy Sweet & Sour glaze from DamnDelicious

On Superbowl Sunday, we were heading to a friend's house and I wanted to bring along a few different flavours of wings.  I had a good rub for dry wings and a new idea for a copycat coating but wanted something saucy too.  Luckily, I found a recipe for yummy Chipotle Maple Baked Wings (so Canadian of me) that called for simple ingredients that I already had in my cupboard.

Superbowl Wing Trio w/Chipotle Maple Bacon Baked Wings (L)

My third (and favorite) sauce recipe this week is this incredibly easy and delicious Baked Honey Mustard Chicken from DamnDelicious.net.  Can you tell I'm on the verge of obsession with this recipe blog?  I wouldn't call myself a huge lover of mustard.  I put a dab on a burger now and then but it's not my go-to condiment.  I am telling you...  this recipe is so flavourful and the chicken comes out so juicy and tender.  The honey mellows out the mustard so you're left with the tang but not the bite that mustard can have.  I used regular yellow mustard in place of whole grain but used grainy dijon because that's what was in the fridge (I was fresh out of grey poupon).  The grain (wheather in the regular mustard or dijon) creates a nice texture and helps the sauce stick a bit.  Make this immediately and be sure to throw in a few extras for lunch.  The leftovers would be great chopped up in a salad or in a wrap.

Sauce for Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

The end result.  So so so yummy!

What are your favorite weeknight recipes?  Comment below and be sure to find these meals and more by following at www.pinterest.com/midtowndiaires.

Jordan goes to rehab, Britt takes a nap and Kelsey falls down. The Bachelor recap- Week 5

So much to talk about!  First of all, here is my obligatory Superbowl comment- I'm just really glad that Jordan found a job after being eliminated from The Bachelor.

She made a really incredible "Left Shark".

Also- wtf Allstate?!?  

This week's episode of The Bachelor had the girls packing their bags and heading to Santa Fe.  Megan was especially excited since she exclaimed "I've never been out of the country!".  Which is really interesting for us viewer...  but you're going to New Mexico.  Which is a state... in your home country...  And if you're marrying Chris, you'll never leave the country because you'll be too busy harvesting potatoes in Iowa.   

Carly finally got her on-one-one date and her outfit must have come from the gift shop at the airport.

Have you noticed, that every time the girls show up for a date, it's in a location that you would probably picture yourself being killed one day!?  A big empty house in the middle of a desert...  #redflag.  But wait!  Ashley S. put on a wig and revealed her true identity as a Love Guru.  Who screens these people!?  Carly and Chris were made to do so much touching and breathing into each other's faces that I thought it was a Dentyne cross-promotion!

Although the couple was clearly so uncomfortable during their "love" session with Dr. Creeps Magee, they supported each other and made the most of a really really really really really awkward situation.  I like how Chris spoke up for Carly and asked Ashley-S-in-a-wig to slow things down.  It was a good opportunity to get connected and get a feel (get it?! a feeeel) for the chemistry between them.

I'm a fan of the low-key downtime at the end of a lot of these dates.  Carly seems to thrive in those laid back settings.  It seems like she has a few issues from past relationships and perhaps some baggage to get rid of but Carly's in it for the right reasons.  Every girl deserves to feel loved and wanted by their partner and I think that's enough for her.  She's not in it for the glitz and glam of being whisked away in a helicopter.  She puts her best food forward whether it's a group date or one-on-one and comes across as a really genuine gal.  

The river rafting group date was a bit of a snooze fest and the only exciting thing that happened was Jade falling out of the boat.  Turns out, she has a rare disorder where she loses circulation when she is in cold water.  Is anyone else getting deja vu!?

Needless to say, Jade handled things remarkably better than Tierrable and,after a quick foot rub from Chris, she was back in the game.  

Ohhhhh man- look who was just passing through on her way home to Colorado after performing at the Superbowl- JORDAN!  I hope you didn't think that we could get through a season of The Bachelor with just one girl insisting she gets a second chance.  That being said, I've heard there are really nice rehabs in Santa Fe.  Where the heck was Chris Harrison when Jordan was trying to weasel her way back into Chris' hear?  A girl used to have to sit down for a conference with him before getting through the doors.  

KardAshley continues to be the most miserable person on ABC by trying to convince the girls to, not only stop being nice to Jordan but, be flat out mean to her.  She's awful and needs go home.

Wait...  where did Samantha come from?!

Britt hasn't been able to spend much quality time with Chris since she got the first impression rose. I did a bit of searching online and found this really natural picture from the day she was born:  

My problem with Britt is that just doesn't really seem it turn "it" off.  She has the same big eyes and "woooowwwww" reaction to everything and I worry that Chris isn't getting to know her as well or as quickly has girls like Carly, Kaitlyn or even Whitney.  He's obviously incredibly attracted to her and they have great physical chemistry and the same nap time.

After finding out that Chris was starting to spend more quality time with a smaller number of girls, Kelsey put on her best teacher outfit and marched herself right down to his hotel room.  She told him about her husband who died of... what was it called again... she can't remember.  "Isn't my story amazing?  It's tragic but it's amazing.  I love my story.", she told us afterwards.  While Chris consoled her, she went in for the make-out.  I thought that only happened on Soap Operas.  Nothing makes me want to suck face more than pouring my heart out about a deceased loved one.  Her in laws must think she is just charming.

Seriously- who is Samantha?

The cocktail party was cut short by an emotional Chris who alluded to the conversation he and Kelsey had which made him really think carefully about his decision this week.  Kelsey made a weird speech to the girls about it being the last time that she sees one of them again (is she going to kill them?!).  She comes across extremely condescending and a tad creepy.  

We were left with a cliff hanger and a strange moaning/whimpering panic attack by Kelsey right before the start of the rose ceremony.  Chris Harrison may finally be right- this is the most dramatic episode yet!

Ok...  I've been trying to keep it in but I can't anymore.  Wtf, Bruce Jenner?!  What is going onnnn??

Thanks for reading and, as always, join in the conversation live during The Bachelor next Monday on Twitter @midtowndiaries.  Give Midtown Diaries a little likesy on the Facebook and find out what I'm eating right now on Instagram.