TO: Bachelor Nation

FROM: Melissa McKay

RE: The Bachelor – Peter, Episode 4

DATE: 2 February 2020

______________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

1. On 27 January 2020, at 8PM EST, Episode 4 of this current season of The Bachelor aired. Episode 3 had ended with Peter questioning his decision to send Alayah home after being told that she was not appearing on the series for the “right reasons.”
2. The episode opens with the women gossiping about the events of the previous night, and Host Chris Harrison enters the mansion. He asks all the women to join him in the mansion, where he claims they will be making biscuits. It is never clear whether they make these biscuits, or if Host Chris Harrison was merely luring the women into the mansion under a false, carb-laden pretense.
3. Host Chris Harrison tells the women that Peter is no longer with them, and I am briefly elated at the idea that he has quit the show, but it is because he has already traveled to their new, exotic destination – Cleveland, Ohio.[1]

“When I think of Ohio, I don’t necessarily think of romance.”[2]

4. Peter, unlike the women, is thrilled to be in Cleveland. Why am I not surprised?
5. For his entry shot into Cleveland, Peter does a bizarre camera gag, where he levitates into the camera frame while holding his fist in what appears to be a Black power salute.[3] As thrilled as I am to see Peter supporting the rights of African Americans, this only serves as a cruel reminder that The Bachelor franchise had the opportunity to make Mike Johnson[4] the first ever Black Bachelor, and instead is forcing us to watch the human equivalent of unleavened dough.
6. Peter clarifies that this was a superhero gag, by asking the producers if they understood what he just did – it was an imitation of Superman. Nobody understood, but it is because Peter genuinely believes that Superman is from Cleveland, even going so far as to state, “Clark Kent was born in Cleveland.”
7. Clark Kent, famously, was not born on Earth, but rather was born as Kal-El on the planet Krypton prior to its destruction, because he is an alien and that is the driving force behind the entirety of his narrative and his motivations as a superhero. This fact is so well-known that the Superman Wikipedia page doesn’t even bother provide a reference for it.[5] It’s also widely agreed that Metropolis is, in large part, based on New York City.[6]
8. While Peter proceeds to tell a producer that Harry Potter was actually born in Australia, the women are forced to act as though they are excited to be in Cleveland, with the majority of them simply noting that they had never before been to Cleveland. A date card arrives, and Victoria F.[7] is selected for a one on one date.
9. Upon finding out that she was not selected for the one on one date, Wannabe Jillian starts crying, because, after these three weeks in which she has dated Peter alongside at least 10 other women at any given time, she believes Peter to be her “dream guy”. Peter has yet to show any personality traits beyond being an indecisive pilot, so perhaps Wannabe Jillian, an attractive woman in her very early twenties, should start dreaming bigger.

Victoria F.’s Date

10. I felt rather neutral about Victoria F. in previous episodes – she seems like someone who is still working through her own insecurities, and I don’t think reality television is the best place to do that, but here she is. She is chauffeured to her date, which begins on a runway because, in case you’ve forgotten, Peter is a commercial airline pilot for Delta, and as such, he flies planes. Victoria F. may have forgotten that fact, because when she sees him standing by the plane, she contorts her body and begins squealing, saying that she is “drooling” at the sight of Peter. I am again forced to reconcile with the fact that I may suffer from face blindness.
11. Peter flies Victoria F. to an amusement park and they go on some rides.
12. I am forced to rethink my previous neutral stance on Victoria F. as the date wears on. They break from the carnival rides to have a beer, and Victoria F. proposes a toast: “Here’s to our sons having hot mums and successful dads!” I briefly wonder if Victoria F. is a time traveler sent from the Mad Men era to deliver all young women into marriages that land them in the kitchen, but I am reminded that she willingly applied to be on a reality show where the only qualifying factors are to fit the mold of what is deemed “attractive” under heteronormative hegemonic masculinity, and to be seeking a husband. Perhaps Victoria F. deserves Peter after all, and this season has formed a true love connection where so many others have failed.
13. After their beer, Peter surprises Victoria F. with a Chase Rice concert, in part because he knows she likes country music, but mostly because the producers told him this would happen.
14. Victoria F. is horrified. Peter was right – she does love country music. She also, at one point, may have loved Chase Rice more than I do when I say, “I loved Chase Rice on Survivor,”[8] “Ready Set Roll[9] was my bop in 3L,” or “Eyes on You[10] is a jam,” because Victoria F. and Chase used to date.[11]
15. Let’s all stop for a moment to recognise that Victoria F. was dating CHASE RICE,[12] and left him to date a glass of warm milk.[13]
16. Peter carries on about how this was the best date ever, and is so impressed Victoria F. knew all the words to Chase’s songs – the man is clueless that Victoria F. has been palpably uncomfortable the entire date. Maybe if you paid as much attention to your date as you did to nailing your impression of an inflatable wacky waving man,[14] you would pick up on her discomfort. Victoria F. heads off for a diary moment, so Peter capitalises on his status as Bachelor by going to speak with Chase Rice and say what a fan he is. He ends the conversation by sharing his Instagram handle with Chase, presumably because he will post memes with Chase’s lyrics on his page and hopes Chase will like them. Victoria F. then goes to speak with Chase, who tells her he had no idea that she would be there, but also does not seem sad at all and essentially tells her to do what’s best for her.
17. You’ve won this round, and many others, Chase Rice.
18. Peter and Victoria F. head off for the evening portion of their date. Peter suggests that Chase Rice sing at their wedding. HOW DOES HE NOT PICK UP ON SOCIAL CUES?
19. They sit down for dinner and Peter asks Victoria if she is ok. She says no. Peter is shocked, because he is happy, and his emotions are the only ones that exist.

Discovery Notes re: The Chase Rice and Victoria F. Incident

20. Victoria F: Chase and I used to date.
21. Peter:[15] Like, the singer Chase? The guy that was doing the concert?
22. Victoria F: Yep.
23. Peter:[16] No…. the guy that was singing? I talked to him.
24. Victoria explains that she broke up with Chase because their lifestyles and goals were different.
25. Peter: This is weird. When else do you dance and make out to someone else’s ex singing to you?
26. Victoria F:[17] That’s… yeah.
27. Victoria F. then leaves the room to collect herself. At first, Peter appears flabbergasted that Victoria dated someone significantly more impressive than he, a pilot for Delta, but he decides to go to Victoria F. to tell her that he “respects the hell out of [her] for having the guts to tell [him] this”. As someone who once went on a date with a man named Augie who thought appropriate first date conversation included telling me about the time his fraternity’s dog ate a plastic bag so he had to pour hydrogen peroxide down its throat,[18] I’m sure it was extraordinarily difficult for Victoria F. to admit she dated an attractive, famous singer.
28. Peter then, instead of allowing Victoria F. to process her feelings over this, tells her to just laugh it off. So, on separate occasions, Peter has called her anxiety “endearing” and then told her to ignore and cover up her discomfort by smiling and/or laughing. I’m beginning to think Peter might not be emotionally mature enough to get married.
29. Victoria F. gets a rose.

The Group Date

30. Peter takes the women to the NFL stadium in Cleveland. He tells them American football is one of his passions, because he played it in high school. The women do football drills. Peter barks as though he is singing “Who Let the Dogs Out,” by The Baha Men.
31. A woman named Tammy is on this group date. I like her, but she is not going to win, so I haven’t mentioned her before. She flips houses for a living. I’d be her friend.[19]
32. Flowers opts out of the drills because her back is still sore after the centrifuge machine. Peter asks her to coach on the sidelines with him. He then proceeds to ignore all the women doing the stupid task he asked of them, and massages Flowers. This bothers Old Crone, who continues to act as the sole voice of reason.
33. A woman named Shiann scores four touchdowns. Deandra, who we all learned existed last week, has great braids. The game ends in a tie. Peter says, “it was some good football.” Peter is a liar.
34. Old Crone, who seems to have decided she has no interest in Peter “Pillsbury Doughboy” Weber, tells Shiann that, through her football skills, she earned the right to speak with Peter first at the afterparty, and that she will “block for [her] ass” until she is done. I appreciate the sentiment, but these are the best laid plans of mice and [wo]men.
35. Flowers steals Peter first. She tells Peter how much she loves football and wants to cheer on her children someday. Peter agrees. I worry that it is 2020 and neither of them seem concerned about chronic traumatic encephalopathy.[20]
36. Shiann is irritated, so chugs her drink and interrupts Flowers so that she can have her time with Peter. As they begin their conversation, we cut to a shot of the group date harem. The women are startled by a new arrival: Alayah has returned. Alayah interrupts Peter and Shiann, because she has unfinished business.
37. Alayah bangs on about how Peter was manipulated (somewhat true, in that he made a decision to eject her based solely on the opinions of her direct competitors), that she is a great person, she is actually friends with Flowers, and they went on a trip to Vegas together. Peter is shocked, because Flowers had previously told him they spoke for maybe three hours at a pageant. Peter confronts Flowers, who admits to going to Vegas with Alayah, but says that “[her] truth is the truth.” She states that she has been open and vulnerable with Peter (true).
38. Peter, who is so indecisive he probably shows up to Starbucks and stands at the counter for at least half an hour before deciding to order the same thing he gets every time, decides to bring Alayah and Flowers together to uncover the truth. Alayah says that it is obvious to anyone in the real world that they know one another, and that she was the most hurt by what Flowers said about her, because they know one another. Flowers says that she never took the time to truly become Alayah’s friend prior to The Bachelor. Peter starts freaking out because Flowers no longer appears to be who said she was, and melancholically stands by a tank of sharks, which is not something I anticipated seeing in Cleveland.[21]
39. Based on my experience being on teams/interacting with groups, it is entirely possible to be within a larger group of people (ie, women competing for Miss America), to travel with that large group (ie, on a trip to Vegas), and to still not be friends with everyone in that group. It is not that shocking that Flowers and Alayah would have spent some time together, and even traveled together, without actually getting to know one another on a meaningful level. It is totally believable that Alayah thought, because they had a baseline acquaintanceship outside the show, Flowers would have her back on the show. It’s equally believable that Flowers viewed Alayah as someone she had a baseline relationship with but didn’t know well so didn’t owe anything, and that her most meaningful interaction with her was the one where Alayah asked her not to disclose their acquaintanceship to producers. This is all irrelevant to Peter’s actual feelings towards either of these women, but because he is so indecisive, he’s using it as an excuse to not make any choices.
40. Case in point: Peter goes to Alayah, tells her he was influenced by everyone else when he didn’t give her a rose, and asks her to return to the harem. Unlike Alabama Hannah, Alayah does not realise the bullet she dodged when she was eliminated, so she agrees. I don’t know how anyone could have confidence in a relationship where one person has already ended the relationship based solely on the opinions of other people who, you’ll recall, are also trying to date Peter, which makes it seem like Alayah is not in this for love, but more for the exposure – this was the concern originally voiced by the other women.
41. Peter then demonstrates how little he respects the contestants of this show, and gives Alayah the group date rose. As Hannah Ann states, “The girl who got the rose wasn’t even on the date.” Wannabe Jillian says that she feels as though Peter has disrespected them by bringing Alayah back, and that Peter should be prepared for the women’s negative reactions.
42. Peter’s actions here are totally different than say, Colton, the previous Bachelor, who notably eliminated two finalists after Cassie, the third finalist and his current girlfriend, self-eliminated.[22] There, Colton broke the rules of the franchise by throwing out the standard format, but it was because he was sure he only wanted to pursue Cassie. Here, Peter is flip flopping on the mere interest he might have in one of these women after three weeks, which not only encourages women to spread rumours about one another to Peter, it takes away any credibility he might have in claiming he wants to get married (or at the very least, be in a serious relationship) at the end of this. It’s not hard to tell if you like someone, and his inability to trust his instincts (combined with other behaviour he’s shown lacking in emotional maturity, such as his reactions to women being vulnerable and his responses to displays of anxiety) makes it seem as though he is not serious about this process or ready for a real commitment. He’s one of the worst leads the franchise has ever had.
43. In other words, I have a very real concern that Peter’s proposal will include him saying, “I love you, I’m just not in love with you,” and that he will nevertheless expect the woman to accept.

Kelsey Gets a One on One Date

44. I’m confused – thus far, Peter’s interactions with Kelsey have included her drunkenly crying about a champagne bottle, yelling at one of the other women about how she’s a terrible person for drinking her champagne, and that’s about it, but Peter is still interested in spending one on one time with her. Was her name the only one he could recall when production asked him who he wanted to take on this date? Or has my approach to pursuing men been all wrong?
45. They wander around Cleveland, and it is underwhelming. A street vendor asks them if they have ever tried pierogie before, and Peter repeats “pierogie” as though it is a novel concept. Do other North Americans not know what pierogies are? Kelsey says they remind her of home, is she Polish? I decide she is not, because, if she were Polish, she would have brought been a bottle of vodka, not champagne. Then they stumble upon a group of people dancing polka. Is there a large Polish population in Cleveland? After butchering the polka, they come across a soap box race, and race children down a road. How much did the city of Cleveland pay abc to make them come here?
46. Thankfully, the day ends, and Kelsey and Peter go for dinner. Peter is wearing an ill-fitting turtleneck and asks to know everything about Kelsey. This is my least favourite question, because it shows that Peter paid so little attention to Kelsey in his prior conversations with her that he has nothing specific to ask her about (granted, I think they have run out of champagne material to discuss). Kelsey’s dad sounds like an awful person – he left her mum by leaving his wedding ring and a note on the kitchen counter (which Kelsey found) and moved to Mexico to start a new life. Peter, again with the appropriate response, says he respects independent women because his mum and grandmother moved from Cuba to the United States, and then asks Kelsey if her past affects her in relationships. Kelsey seems surprised by this question because, clearly, it does. Peter thanks her for being real, tells her it’s beautiful that she still wants a family “after all that” and gives her a rose.

Chase Rice and Alayah: The Aftermath

47. After Alayah is given the rose, she pulls Wannabe Jillian aside, and tells her she knows Victoria F. went on a one on one date, and that she used to date Chase Rice – so, Alayah left the show long enough to go home to Texas, read spoilers, and then get in touch with production to fly her out to Cleveland, where she could return to the show, full of information to stir up drama. Wannabe Jillian has no idea what she is talking about, because Victoria F. did not tell anyone about this following her date.
48. Word spreads of Victoria F.’s former relationship, and Victoria F. is very upset that Alayah has shared this. Old Crone notes that it was sketchy of Alayah to go out, get this information and return. Old Crone is right, and it makes an even stronger case that Alayah is doing everything she can to get the most screen time possible.
49. Victoria F. confronts Alayah, whose defence is that she thought all the other women would know, since it was all over the internet when she was home. Alayah, NONE OF THESE WOMEN HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR PHONES OR A COMPUTER. YOU KNOW THIS. Victoria F. tells Alayah that she will make sure Peter knows what kind of person she is.
50. In advance of the rose ceremony, Old Crone is sitting with some other contestants, and her knee is age-appropriately wrapped after the physical exertion of their football date.[23] She notes that Peter’s flip flopping with Alayah may indicate that Peter does not know what he wants. Old Crone, as usual, is on point. Peter is so excited that multiple women are talking to him that he has turned into a dog in a park full of squirrels. He has no idea where to look, and no attention span to speak of.
51. As the cocktail party preceding the rose ceremony begins, Peter tries to pull Flowers away, because he is still unsure that she is who she says she is. Deandra stops Peter in front of everyone, and says before he has any other conversations, she wants to make clear that she has never felt as unacknowledged as she did on that date. Wannabe Jillian nods aggressively in agreement. Old Crone says that, not only do her ankle and knee hurt, but her heart as well, after he gave the rose to Alayah, who was not on the date. Sydney describes it as a slap in the face.
52. Peter, who again, is shocked that the women could ever express any negative emotions, particularly after he has treated them as though they are all disposable, is rendered temporarily speechless. He apologizes and says he brought Alayah back because he was upset at having his opinion swayed by others. He then asks Flowers to come with him again, and she tells him that she does not want to speak with him.
53. Flowers is upset because she (rightfully) feels as though she is being made to look as though she threw Alayah under the bus and was the deciding factor in eliminating her from the show, when in fact at least ten other women also told Peter that they thought Alayah was fake, and Sydney initially named her after Peter put her on the spot in a group setting and asked her to say someone’s name. Flowers tells Peter that he put her in the middle of this drama, a position she never asked to be in, when he specifically asked her to tell him her thoughts on Alayah. Peter tries to interrupt Flowers and she is not having it.[24] Her anger is all the more empowering because she is wearing a great dress in an amazing shade of red that is very flattering on her. She tells Peter that if he wants more information on how Alayah is being manipulative, he can go speak with Victoria F. Peter then has the audacity to ask Flowers what is going on between Alayah and Victoria F., as though Flowers would ever give him any more ammunition to turn against her.
54. Peter is terrible at communicating and seems to lack a basic understanding of trust. He is asking women to given him their opinions in a private setting, which is a normal part of developing trust in a relationship, and then, rather than keeping those statements to himself to assist in forming his own opinion, he takes these statements, which they believed to have been made in confidence, and makes them part of the group narrative. It would be like if your partner complained to you about something one of their friends did, you agreed with them and recounted a time that similarly bothered you, and then your partner screenshotted that conversation and sent it to a group text. I don’t know how any of these women could ever trust anything they say to Peter to actually stay between them after this.
55. The women confront Alayah, with Lone Ginger saying that Alayah only cares about being on the show, because if she didn’t care about being on the show, she would have waited until the Women Tell All to share her side of the story. Accurate, Lone Ginger.
56. Victoria F. tells Peter that Alayah told everyone about her former relationship with Chase, which upset her because it wasn’t anyone else’s business. Peter does not seem to care at all that Victoria F. is upset, making this all about him in asking, “Why can’t this end? This is backfiring like no other.” All of this is because Peter cannot make a decision. Several of the women point out that they cannot build a relationship with Peter if he is going to be consumed with drama.
57. Peter pulls Alayah aside and tells her that he is confused at people not liking her. This is particularly frustrating, because when Peter was a contestant on Alabama Hannah’s season, all the men hated Luke P. It caused a lot of drama and Alabama Hannah occasionally dealt with the men’s infighting but mostly told them to stay in their lane, and to let her make her own choices, even if they were mistakes. Peter would have seen how this plays out from a contestant’s side. Generally, if you are the one person in a group that people can’t stand, you are doing something that is off. Further, why would you ever want a partner who is the single person that can’t get along in a group of people you otherwise like?

Conclusion

58. The episode ends with Peter stating that he is concerned all the women will walk out.
59. In my alternate reality, Old Crone tells Peter that he is a weenie and that she will not be wasting any more time with someone who cannot decide what to watch on Netflix on any given night. All the women should leave. There hasn’t been a single instance this season where Peter has shown that he knows what he wants.
60. Can Hot Mike just tap in yet?

Exhibit A

“Attorney” Kelley (left) and Tammy are rightfully underwhelmed.

Exhibit B

You’re killing me, abc.

You’re killing me, abc

Exhibit C

Chase Rice, existing. His forearm has more personality than Peter.

Exhibit D

Peter claims to be Cuban. DIRTY DANCING: HAVANA NIGHTS WOULD DISAGREE.

Exhibit E

I see no difference between Exhibits D and E.

Exhibit F

Peter’s face while processing information.

Exhibit G

More like POUT-er, am I right?

Exhibit H

Just let the night end for this poor woman.

Exhibit I

Sharks, man.

Exhibit J

Old Crone, you speak to me.

Exhibit K

I feel like I made this exact same face at the television throughout my entire watching process.

End Notes

[1] For the women’s reaction to being told they must go to Cleveland, see Exhibit A.

[2] A direct quote from one of the women at being told they are going to Cleveland.

[3] Think of the “walking downstairs gag”, but it is Peter slowly raising himself into the camera frame, holding his fist up.

[4] Mike Johsnon competed alongside Peter in Alabama Hannah’s season, and was known in my recaps as “Hot Mike.” For more information, see Exhibit B.

[5] “Superman,” Wikipedia. Available online at < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman>.

[6] Dennis O’Neill, a writer and editor of the Superman comics, famously said that “Metropolis is Manhattan between 14^th and 100 Streets on the brightest, sunniest July day of the year.”

[7] Victoria F. received some screen time in Episode 2, when Peter told her that her anxiety was “endearing.” See “The Bachelor: Pilot Peter – Episodes 1 & 2,” 20 January 2020, para. 38. Available online at <https://melissmckay.com/2020/01/26/the-bachelor-peters-season-episodes-1-2/>.

[8] Chase Rice “gained prominence”, according to his Wikipedia page, by competing on Survivor, in 2010 on Survivor: Nicaragua, and actually made it to the final three, where he placed third. He was subsequently voted by viewers as the 10^th “steamiest” male contestant in Survivor history. For more information, see his Wikipedia page, available online at <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_Rice>.

[9] Ready Set Roll, Youtube. Available at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul5cm-6_NMI>.

[10] Eyes on You, Youtube. Available at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkloKZmQ3o4>.

[11] As much as I will make light of the fact that Victoria F.’s drama revolves around her dating someone far superior to Peter, I will note that this is a particularly irresponsible move on the part of the producers (who clearly specifically planned to have this interaction between Chase and Victoria), and a terrible situation to put both Victoria F. and Chase Rice in. It’s awkward enough to have a surprise run in with an ex you ended things with amicably, but I highly doubt producers did any research to make sure it was an amicable breakup. Either party could have been abusive in this relationship, they may have ended things for a traumatic reason and seeing the other could be triggering, or it could have just been a really messy breakup. It appears that they did end relatively amicably, but throughout the date, Victoria F. kept telling the producers how awkward and uncomfortable she felt – ignoring women’s discomfort facilitates sexual assault, and particularly, sexual assaults that are likely to never result in charges, let alone convictions, due to women feeling as though it is easier to go along with an uncomfortable situation than protest it (for more information, I am happy to pass along the chapter I’m publishing in the upcoming book, Gender, Shame and Violence: Terrors of Injustice within the Lexington Series “Feminist Strategies: Flexible Theories and Resilient Practices”). This obviously is not at all the same as a sexual assault, but it’s a clear example of the way that women are conditioned to act in social settings – she went along with a date that made her feel horribly uncomfortable because women are conditioned to be polite regardless of their own comfort, and she didn’t want to cause a scene (which is understandable considering there was a crowd of hundreds surrounding them, and this was being filmed for broadcast on national television).

[12] See Exhibit C.

[13] To see what Peter looks like dancing in front of Chase Rice, see Exhibit D.

[14] See Exhibit E.

[15] See Exhibit F.

[16] See Exhibit G.

[17] See Exhibit H.

[18] He couldn’t remember if the dog died or not, so the conversation just kind of ended with me being very sad, and him trying to make a joke about tax law. Also, we met up at 9:00pm on a weeknight and he ordered an entire charcuterie board, which he ate on his own.

[19] She is pictured in Exhibit A, alongside Flowers.

[20] A 2017 study of 111 brains of former NFL players showed that 110 of them suffered from CTE, a degenerative brain disease found in individuals with a history of repetitive brain trauma. Symptoms have appeared in individuals as young as 17 years old. For more information, see “CTE Resources”, Concussion Foundation. Available online at: <https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE>.

[21] See Exhibit I.

[22] Cassie decided that the format of the show didn’t work for her, and that she wouldn’t be ready to say yes to a proposal at the finale given the short amount of time they had spent together and the way her family felt. She wanted Colton to carry on in the show with the two other women because she believed they could give Colton what he wanted (ie, a proposal) within the show’s constraints. Colton had already decided he wanted to propose to Cassie and epically ran away from the show by jumping a fence higher than him in a single bound, to tell her that he was fine taking whatever time she needed to feel comfortable with a proposal. The two are still dating, which is entirely appropriate given that they are in their early-mid twenties and have known each other for roughly a year.

[23] Your thirties really do hit you like a tonne of bricks. See Exhibit J.

[24] See Exhibit K.

[25] Luke P. often took statements Hannah made regarding her faith, and twisted them to make her feel as though she should be guilty about spending time, or being physical, with the other men.