Speaker 1: Hey, everyonell welcome back to Better Half the Hour. I'm
Speaker 1: Joe and I'm Serena, and today we're going to be
Speaker 1: talking about the fact that I just watched all the
Speaker 1: Hunger Games. I actually did, I just pinched the Hunger Games.
Speaker 1: They were pretty good. But that's not what we'll be
Speaker 1: talking about today.
Speaker 2: We are going to different kind of Hunger Games today.
Speaker 1: Today we are going to recap the episode which was
Speaker 1: Hometown's Serena's favorite favorite episode of the season.
Speaker 3: If you listened to this podcast consistently, you know that
Speaker 3: Hometowns is my least favorite episode of the season, but
Speaker 3: a crucial episode nonetheless, Like I can't imagine this journey
Speaker 3: without a Hometown's episode. Having been a contestant, It's like
Speaker 3: one of the most important weeks I think for the
Speaker 3: contestants getting to connect with their families, getting to have
Speaker 3: the lead meet their families, Like it's absolutely essential.
Speaker 2: But as a viewer, you it's just not my absolute favorite.
Speaker 1: Fine, that's totally fine. You're You're free to feel that way.
Speaker 2: Thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 1: And then later in the week we are going to
Speaker 1: have Jared Fried on, And if you don't know Jared Freed,
Speaker 1: he is a comedian. He is a special on Netflix.
Speaker 1: He also is part of the Bachelor and he recaps
Speaker 1: all the episodes on his Instagram page. He's a very
Speaker 1: funny man and we've had him on before and he's
Speaker 1: coming back.
Speaker 3: So yeah, a long time Bachelor viewer and lover and
Speaker 3: a longtime friend and a longtime friend. We're excited to
Speaker 3: have him. He is super entertaining and very hilarious. It's
Speaker 3: going to be a good interview. You won't want to
Speaker 3: miss that one.
Speaker 1: Okay, So let's kick it off. The episode starts off.
Speaker 1: They don't waste any time. Just instantly we are seeing Kelsey.
Speaker 1: We're in New Orleans and we are at her hometown.
Speaker 3: We are I've never been to New Orleans. I have
Speaker 3: heard mixed reviews.
Speaker 1: Uh, yeah, I've been. I've been there. I've been to
Speaker 1: New Orleans, I think twice twice.
Speaker 2: Twice twice. I feel like the only thing.
Speaker 3: I used to watch The Vampire Diaries and they like
Speaker 3: went to New Orleans in the Vampire Dires. I was like,
Speaker 3: this place looks so cool, but it sounds like it's
Speaker 3: like really heavy French food.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you would not do well as far as your stomach.
Speaker 3: I'm not a big like French cuisine person because I
Speaker 3: just find it all to be incredibly rich and buttery
Speaker 3: and oily, which is delicious, but I usually feel kind
Speaker 3: of sick.
Speaker 1: After they have grilled oysters, which would definitely mess up
Speaker 1: your stomach. But they're incredible.
Speaker 2: That sounds amazing. I want to try. Like, what's the like.
Speaker 3: The fish stew from New Orleans or like there's like
Speaker 3: a stew like a crew. Oh, yes, you know what
Speaker 3: I'm talking about. I'm a terrible job of describing it.
Speaker 1: Oh not gumbo soup.
Speaker 2: Gumbo.
Speaker 3: Yeah, oh my gosh, I've had gumbo, just to be clear,
Speaker 3: and I know what it is.
Speaker 2: It just the name was escaping me.
Speaker 1: But we see Joey and Kelsey eating begnets. You know
Speaker 1: what is No, it's like it's essentially like it's like
Speaker 1: fried dough.
Speaker 2: Oh, like a donut.
Speaker 1: It's like, yeah, it's like a donable. It's it's it's
Speaker 1: loaded with powdered sugar and it's just.
Speaker 3: Like I feel like every not every, but a lot
Speaker 3: of cultures have their own take on like a donut. Yeah,
Speaker 3: you know what I mean, Like the like the Greek
Speaker 3: one is like the lokomades. Do you know what I'm
Speaker 3: talking about? Like the honey the little Honey doughnuts?
Speaker 1: I don't. I don't know.
Speaker 3: Okay, well I also probably just butchered the name, but
Speaker 3: I stand by what I said. I feel like there's
Speaker 3: a lot of different takes on it. I would be
Speaker 3: very dawn to try that.
Speaker 2: It looks delicious.
Speaker 1: Do you have a favorite donut?
Speaker 3: Do I have a favorite donut? Probably, but like I'd
Speaker 3: have to think about it. I don't even know the
Speaker 3: last doughnut I ate to be honest, Yeah, I do
Speaker 3: you have a favorite donut?
Speaker 1: Chocolate?
Speaker 3: Just a chocolate donut? Do you like it when they're
Speaker 3: more like Bready and Dowe or more cakey.
Speaker 1: More cakey?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: I like double chocolate, like chocolate dipped on the top.
Speaker 3: This is so Canadian, but like growing up, I loved
Speaker 3: like the chocolate dipped classic donut for Tim Harty's.
Speaker 1: Yeah, who doesn't at Timparts.
Speaker 2: Was like my go to donut for most of my life.
Speaker 1: That's great. So do we think joe How do Joey
Speaker 1: and Kelsey? They really seem like they are there meshing
Speaker 1: very well.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, they're giving like boyfriend and girlfriend. Super great
Speaker 3: fit together. The chemistry is there. This is like the
Speaker 3: happiest I feel like we've seen her. She just seems
Speaker 3: so comfortable, so relaxed in her element. Like the difference
Speaker 3: between her like week two to now, I feel like
Speaker 3: we've really seen her personality come through. And I just
Speaker 3: feel like the contestants' personalities never shine through more than
Speaker 3: when they are in their hometown for obvious reasons, Like
Speaker 3: they're just more comfortable. Yeah, and she's just smiling, She's
Speaker 3: jumping around like she is loving life.
Speaker 1: And I like seeing the butterflies. They remind her of
Speaker 1: her mom. And then she saw a butterfly when she
Speaker 1: was interviewing.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there was a few moments where she saw butterflies
Speaker 3: because I think her and Joey were standing on the bridge.
Speaker 2: He was like, I want to see one.
Speaker 3: Too, and She's like, look because it reminds her of
Speaker 3: her mom, which honestly I can't talk about because I'll
Speaker 3: start crying.
Speaker 1: I will say, Joey to me, Joey seems the most relaxed.
Speaker 1: I think I've said this before, but seems the most
Speaker 1: comfortable in himself.
Speaker 2: With Kelsey totally, I agree, Like.
Speaker 1: Even when they were like eating Begnetes. I don't know.
Speaker 1: There was just like a shot of where I'm like,
Speaker 1: he just seems like he's living his life opposed to
Speaker 1: being the bachelor.
Speaker 3: I agree. They just seem like a great fit. I
Speaker 3: really like them together. They're very cute.
Speaker 1: We go to Kelsey's house. It's her brother, her sister,
Speaker 1: and her dad. You know, like you kind of I
Speaker 1: think when you watch Hometowns, you kind of like hope
Speaker 1: that like the families either like crazy or mean just
Speaker 1: for a little just like if some entertainment, but like
Speaker 1: they couldn't be more welcoming and warm.
Speaker 3: And oh my god, her dad was like amazing, Like
Speaker 3: I loved her dad so much. I was like, this
Speaker 3: guy seems like he's the best.
Speaker 1: And it's nice. It's nice like when the family gets
Speaker 1: it like it's the worst when you when you walk in,
Speaker 1: when when they walk in and the family's like, well
Speaker 1: I don't even know what this is, and it's like, okay,
Speaker 1: well you should have done your reasons like this.
Speaker 3: Like what do you mean, Like your kid's been gone
Speaker 3: for weeks and you don't know what's going on.
Speaker 1: So like it is nice when like like Joey had
Speaker 1: a conversation with the father, and he was just kind
Speaker 1: of like he honestly, he was just nice and like
Speaker 1: understanding and like he completely got that there's other women
Speaker 1: there and I think he respects. Joey, by the way,
Speaker 1: in my opinion, also has handled the conversations with all
Speaker 1: the parents like so well, Like it was it's the
Speaker 1: first time in a while where I've seen a lead
Speaker 1: like really take control.
Speaker 2: Agree, I absolutely agree.
Speaker 3: Honestly, he's the best bachelor in terms of the way
Speaker 3: he's handled hometown specifically that we've seen in a really
Speaker 3: long time. Like I was unbelievably impressed with how he
Speaker 3: handled every single conversation. He like was proactive and comforting
Speaker 3: the parents. If he felt like there was hesitation, he
Speaker 3: was upfront with them. There was no bs, which I
Speaker 3: do find a lot of the leads do. But he
Speaker 3: just was very smooth about his delivery and there was
Speaker 3: a lot of confidence and you could tell that the
Speaker 3: parents responded really well to him. And I almost wanted
Speaker 3: to be like Joey, like, could you do not great?
Speaker 3: Not as good of a job? Like this is getting
Speaker 3: to be boring, Like every parent just loves you and
Speaker 3: because they love them and it's just it's going so well.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I was very impressed, Like you said, he
Speaker 2: was just he was.
Speaker 1: Just very confident in his delivery and like what came
Speaker 1: out of his mouth, it just all and like as
Speaker 1: a parent, that had to make them feel a little comfortable,
Speaker 1: like this guy, this guy at least knows what he's
Speaker 1: doing in this situation totally.
Speaker 3: Well, I don't think he's told anyone he's falling in
Speaker 3: love with them.
Speaker 2: No, he's been really close lipped.
Speaker 3: Sorry, sorry, my brain just completely stopped for a second.
Speaker 3: He's been he's been tight left about his feelings, which
Speaker 3: probably makes it easier going to home, just being like,
Speaker 3: I haven't told anyone how I feel because I don't
Speaker 3: want to set anyone up for failure. Whereas when they
Speaker 3: go in and they're like, oh, well I told some
Speaker 3: of the women that I'm falling in love with them,
Speaker 3: the parents are always like, well why did you do that?
Speaker 3: But the convo goes really well with Kelsey's dad. He
Speaker 3: also just kind of seems like the dad that's like
Speaker 3: if she wants to get engaged, great, if she doesn't,
Speaker 3: no problem, Like I'm fully supportive of her.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he just wants his daughter to be happy.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and he's not like he just seems like he
Speaker 3: really trusts his daughter too, And you could.
Speaker 1: Tell he's somebody that he's been through a lot and
Speaker 1: he you know, understands life. I guess just like there's
Speaker 1: a chance you're gonna get your heart broken, but that's okay.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And if you want to continue pursuing this, like
Speaker 3: that's the right decision, and I trust you to make
Speaker 3: those decisions and I support you no matter what.
Speaker 1: It's not like any parents should want their child to
Speaker 1: go through heartbreak. But it's just part of life. No,
Speaker 1: it's just like you, they have to experience it. Most
Speaker 1: likely are they going to experience it at some point.
Speaker 1: It's just like it's okay because you're you're going to survive.
Speaker 3: One hundred percent. And he actually does say he hopes
Speaker 3: that she's engaged at the end of this, Like he
Speaker 3: explicitly says, like, I hope she comes home engaged, like
Speaker 3: if that's what she wants. If he gets down on one knee,
Speaker 3: like he obviously really liked Joey and he felt good
Speaker 3: about the whole thing. And then Kelsey in her interview
Speaker 3: at the end of the date says that she loves Joey, Yeah,
Speaker 3: but not to him.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Okay, she.
Speaker 2: Seems super happy.
Speaker 3: It's it's just a really nice, happy, positive one on one,
Speaker 3: great first start.
Speaker 1: Sure, I agree. Okay, So then we go to Rachel's
Speaker 1: family and.
Speaker 2: Rancho Cucamongo, Yeah, always.
Speaker 1: Makes me think of Rodney always California from Hawaii. This one,
Speaker 1: I thought we were gonna it was gonna be a
Speaker 1: little we were gonna see a little more like pushback
Speaker 1: because at the beginning, Rachel's like my family is super traditional.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and like my dad's not really for this format,
Speaker 3: and like she went in with a lot of nerves,
Speaker 3: and I think her family was more relaxed than she
Speaker 3: expected them to be, which kind of happened to me.
Speaker 3: I thought that there was gonna be more pushback from
Speaker 3: my family, and they were like more relaxed than I
Speaker 3: expect it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, and I think, yeah, I think they were
Speaker 1: very emotional family. I think the whole I think Obviously
Speaker 1: we don't know exactly what happened in Rachel's past relation
Speaker 1: and ship, but it must have been pretty intense because.
Speaker 3: Well she said she they were almost engaged, like it
Speaker 3: was a really serious relationship and you could.
Speaker 1: Tell like the family just doesn't want to see her
Speaker 1: go through that again, which would make them more reserved
Speaker 1: over the situation. But yeah, I thought it was Joey
Speaker 1: got along with the whole family. I thought they were
Speaker 1: having fun. They were hanging out in the backyard.
Speaker 3: No, it's so cute. Loved her family, loved her parents
Speaker 3: or sister, her nephew. They were all playing backyard games.
Speaker 3: They were eating. Was it like a pig on a spot? Yeah, sick.
Speaker 2: You loved it.
Speaker 3: It looked like honestly, I was like, I want to
Speaker 3: be on this hometown date Like this just looks like
Speaker 3: a lot of fun and a really enjoyable family to
Speaker 3: be a part of.
Speaker 1: And like they said, even though they are traditional, they
Speaker 1: were like, this is our daughter. If this is what
Speaker 1: she wants, then we're happy for her.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the dad doesn't give his blessing.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Joey basically was like, got to ask, and he's like,
Speaker 3: if it's her at the end, you can give me
Speaker 3: a call.
Speaker 2: She's got my number, but I'm not going to give
Speaker 2: it to now.
Speaker 3: And then the mom, which makes sense totally, he's like,
Speaker 3: I'm not going to give you the blessing with like
Speaker 3: when you're dating four girls, which is fine. Always, I
Speaker 3: feel like we usually see at least one dad say that,
Speaker 3: and the mom definitely has some like hesitancy about the
Speaker 3: whole thing, but you know, she like loves your daughter,
Speaker 3: and it all ends on.
Speaker 2: A good note. Yeah, yeah, and then Rachel's emotional.
Speaker 1: Rachel at the end hasn't told Joey how she feels,
Speaker 1: and she finally opens up, which, yeah, it's a good thing.
Speaker 1: She said she's falling in love with them.
Speaker 2: Mm hmm.
Speaker 1: What do you think about them?
Speaker 2: Do you think they're I like them. I like her
Speaker 2: a lot, a lot.
Speaker 3: She's just been like consistent right the whole season. And yeah,
Speaker 3: like I think I said at the beginning, like she's
Speaker 3: just like screams, I'm a wife, I'm wife material, I'm
Speaker 3: like ready for this, And I still feel that way
Speaker 3: about her.
Speaker 1: I just she just for me. She seems she's just
Speaker 1: very smart.
Speaker 2: Totally like and just like emotionally she's very mature.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but I don't know, I feel like it's hard
Speaker 3: to compare because, like Kelsey is so bubbly and giddy,
Speaker 3: and I feel like that side of Joey comes out
Speaker 3: when they're together as well. Whereas Rachel still has like
Speaker 3: a great personality but has more of like a chill personality.
Speaker 3: So it's hard to like compare the connections.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's also like what we see and what
Speaker 1: we don't.
Speaker 2: Totally we don't.
Speaker 3: But I think he also is really comfortable with her,
Speaker 3: and I think from what we've seen, she really like
Speaker 3: understands him as a person. Yeah, like some of the
Speaker 3: comments she makes and just the way they interact, I
Speaker 3: feel like she sees him for who he is, and like,
Speaker 3: I think that's a good thing, you know.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's jump to the Christmas Tree Farm, the greatest
Speaker 1: place on Earth.
Speaker 2: It was so cute and magical.
Speaker 1: Daisy grew up on a Christmas tree.
Speaker 2: I know.
Speaker 1: Wow. I mean, if she doesn't make it at the end,
Speaker 1: I just I don't know. For me, it's like this
Speaker 1: could definitely be the Bachelor at a field of daisies
Speaker 1: holding one rose. Oh, I love it. Yeah. Or she's
Speaker 1: in a field of daisies that are in a red
Speaker 1: dress holding holding her red rose.
Speaker 2: Cute. I love it. And there's Christmas trees like way
Speaker 2: in the background.
Speaker 1: Did should really hire us for.
Speaker 2: The for the marketing?
Speaker 1: Yeah? For this great Okay, what do we think Daisy's
Speaker 1: friends are there? She seems happy to see her her friends.
Speaker 1: The most important thing is her family, and she said
Speaker 1: she's been through a lot and she really wants like
Speaker 1: she would not move forward with Joey if her family
Speaker 1: didn't like him. Yeah she said that multiple times.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, she said it.
Speaker 1: Many times, which kind of feels her.
Speaker 3: Family wasn't gonna like him, because I honestly, like everyone's
Speaker 3: gonna like Joey.
Speaker 1: I don't know about her family not liking him. I
Speaker 1: think it's more of like her family's just not comfortable
Speaker 1: and they can't get on board, Like it would be
Speaker 1: very hard for me too. I just think I don't
Speaker 1: know if Daisy it's it's really like Daisy just don't
Speaker 1: know how much Daisy's into Joey. And I think that's
Speaker 1: if she does say that she's falling in love with
Speaker 1: him at the end of this. But I feel like
Speaker 1: it's really taken her a long time.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I feel like a lot of people will say, like, oh, well,
Speaker 3: like that's real, and like that is because like she's
Speaker 3: so like round and down to earth, like it's too
Speaker 3: fast to fall in love. But it's like everyone else
Speaker 3: does it, you know what I mean, Like people do
Speaker 3: do it, People do fall in love in this amount
Speaker 3: of time, in this process, and like if you can't, yes,
Speaker 3: it might be like oh well, like that she might
Speaker 3: just be like too normal for it all. But it
Speaker 3: also might just mean like it's not her person, but
Speaker 3: she is getting there. She's just getting there slowly. I
Speaker 3: do think they're kid.
Speaker 1: Is she getting there because she has the beginning? Like
Speaker 1: is in her? Like it does she feel pressure that
Speaker 1: she's this far along and like she wants to get there?
Speaker 1: Everyone else is there, she should be there, so maybe
Speaker 1: she thinks she is.
Speaker 3: Maybe she might like she's influenced by her surroundings. Yeah,
Speaker 3: well I know, like even though you don't know where
Speaker 3: everyone else is at necessarily like they're not hanging out
Speaker 3: the girls anymore. Like this was the week I sent
Speaker 3: myself home, and I remember going into the week pretty
Speaker 3: aware that like I was not where everyone else was,
Speaker 3: Like I really wasn't, Like I was so like I
Speaker 3: would be surprised if she didn't have a kind of
Speaker 3: gauge on where all the other women are feeling. And
Speaker 3: I just feel like where Rachel is with Joey and
Speaker 3: where Kelsey A is with Joey, like it's obvious Daisy
Speaker 3: is a step or two behind what they're feeling and
Speaker 3: where those relationships are.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean.
Speaker 2: You don't think she's behind.
Speaker 1: No, well, I mean I'm I I feel like there's
Speaker 1: something missing. But like Rachel also just said, she's the
Speaker 1: first time she's saying it too. But for whatever reason,
Speaker 1: it just feels like something's missing with Daisy, and I
Speaker 1: don't know what that is.
Speaker 3: I think it's because with Rachel, Rachel isn't like second
Speaker 3: guessing where she's at with him.
Speaker 2: She's just like, this is the pace we're moving at.
Speaker 3: I feel good, Like there's more of a positive tone
Speaker 3: when she talks about her feelings for Joey. There's not
Speaker 3: really any like concern or hesitation about if she's gonna
Speaker 3: get there, and she's pretty like strong about like I
Speaker 3: hope it's him and I at the end of this,
Speaker 3: Whereas Daisy, it feels like she's always like, this is
Speaker 3: where I'm at, but and there's like hesitation in her
Speaker 3: tone if she's gonna get there, if she's like moving
Speaker 3: in the right direction, if things are going to go
Speaker 3: towards an engagement with him, like you can feel that
Speaker 3: I feel like with her a little bit. She also
Speaker 3: said to her friends, like, I'm really good at about
Speaker 3: opening up with my feelings to you guys and my family,
Speaker 3: but like maybe not so much in relationships, which was
Speaker 3: interesting to me because I don't know.
Speaker 2: I would just I'd be curious.
Speaker 3: To know more about like her dating history, because I'd
Speaker 3: be curious to know if she's been like that in
Speaker 3: the past with relationships where she's just always had that
Speaker 3: issue of like opening up and moving at a certain pace.
Speaker 3: And I'd also be curious to know if her family
Speaker 3: has reacted a certain way to guys she's brought home,
Speaker 3: because if like there's been guys in the past she's
Speaker 3: brought home that didn't gel with her family, like that
Speaker 3: could be contributing to this dynamic of her being like, ah,
Speaker 3: I don't know how this is gonna go, Like I
Speaker 3: can't fully commit until I know where my family stands.
Speaker 3: Like there might be some background information in some context
Speaker 3: here that we're missing, but from what we're seeing and
Speaker 3: the information we're given, I don't have one hundred percent
Speaker 3: confidence if she's into him or not, and I don't
Speaker 3: think she does either.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, I agree. I agree, so, but family likes Joey.
Speaker 1: Everything wents there nothing really to talk about that.
Speaker 3: The mom and the dad were like, let down your walls, girl,
Speaker 3: like fall in love with him. It's okay, like the
Speaker 3: vulnerable like they were great. They were super supportive.
Speaker 1: And the mom, I think I said when we were
Speaker 1: watching it, the mom like, yeah, this this woman definitely
Speaker 1: has watched the show before, like she knows what is
Speaker 1: going on right now.
Speaker 3: Yeah, one hundred percent, which always makes it a little
Speaker 3: bit more comfortable at the hometown date when it's like, Okay,
Speaker 3: these guys watch the show.
Speaker 2: They get what's happening here.
Speaker 1: Yeah, cool, Okay, let's go to Niagara Falls Maria.
Speaker 3: Okay, Maria's not from Niagara Falls, just to be clear.
Speaker 3: And they did it in the US side. They didn't
Speaker 3: even do it on the Canadian side. It was Niagara,
Speaker 3: New York, not Niagara Buffalo on Terry.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I don't know, not Buffalo. Sorry, that's I'm
Speaker 1: assuming it must have been a filming issue.
Speaker 2: Yeah. They were like, we can get the same thing
Speaker 2: on both sides. Why the border. Yeah, but they they
Speaker 2: do the Maid of the Mess. Have you ever done
Speaker 2: the Maid of the mist before.
Speaker 1: I've never been to Niagara Falls.
Speaker 3: Oh we should go. It's it's cute. Niagara on the
Speaker 3: Lake is cute. It's very like, it's very no desire
Speaker 3: to really why not. It's really beautiful, especially in the summer.
Speaker 3: It's very picturesque. Yeah, maybe we'll go.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 3: Some of it is a little tacky, like it's like
Speaker 3: can be like it's very casino.
Speaker 2: We yeah, and like a lot of chains.
Speaker 1: I love casinos.
Speaker 3: Like there's like you're gonna see like Bubba Gump Shrimp.
Speaker 3: It's giving like Times Square Vegas like yeah, kind of esthetic.
Speaker 3: It's a tourist trap.
Speaker 2: Yeah. But then Niagara on the Lake.
Speaker 3: I believe my geography is like never really accurate, but
Speaker 3: I'm pretty sure I'm right. Is like more like wineries
Speaker 3: and cute hotels and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: Nice. Okay, so they have chose like I.
Speaker 2: Don't care, I'm not going.
Speaker 3: You couldn't have cared less when I was talking just now,
Speaker 3: like your eyes were glazed over and you were like
Speaker 3: just waiting till I shut up to be like all right,
Speaker 3: moving on.
Speaker 1: It's funny.
Speaker 2: No, no, I mean, I mean, don't try to deny it.
Speaker 2: I know we don't have to go.
Speaker 3: It's Maria and Joey like a cruise for me. Joe's
Speaker 3: never going to get on the cruise either.
Speaker 1: Okay, So she has the conversation about telling this is
Speaker 1: the first time she's telling Joey that she never brought
Speaker 1: anyone home.
Speaker 2: Yeah, which is crazy.
Speaker 3: I feel like we knew that as the audience, but
Speaker 3: I didn't realize that he didn't know that, which is
Speaker 3: She's not the first contestant to be like, hey, I've
Speaker 3: never brought anyone home before, but it's shocking that she's
Speaker 3: saying it, like right before they go meet the family.
Speaker 2: He seemed pretty stunned.
Speaker 1: It was this. I think it started last week, but
Speaker 1: the vibes between Joey and Maria just seem off at
Speaker 1: this point.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Joey more than ever, is like, I don't know
Speaker 3: if this spark that we have, this fun, playful dynamic
Speaker 3: can overcome the issues that we have also, and they've
Speaker 3: had kind of a rocky ride the whole time. But
Speaker 3: I really think that last week she voiced some insecurities
Speaker 3: and was like, I don't know if I could do
Speaker 3: this anymore, and was basically kind of trying to send
Speaker 3: herself home, but like wasn't all in on the decision.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you could tell he was like, all right, so
Speaker 2: is this it? Like are you leaving?
Speaker 3: Which I think is kind of the first clue that
Speaker 3: like maybe it's not Maria. Like he wasn't really putting
Speaker 3: up a fight for it.
Speaker 1: It felt like, yeah, yeah, how I feel like how
Speaker 1: Daisy feels about Joey. Joey feels about Maria.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like they have a connection.
Speaker 3: They're attracted to each other as a spark, but like,
Speaker 3: I don't think it's going deeper than that at this point,
Speaker 3: for I thinks a change.
Speaker 1: Meet the family, even though she ends up getting sent home,
Speaker 1: but really, you know family, big Greek family. But really,
Speaker 1: I mean I thought the family was great. I really
Speaker 1: I really liked the dad.
Speaker 3: I thought I really liked her dad too. Yeah, and
Speaker 3: they have such a wonderful dynamic.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I thought he was great. I really liked his conversation
Speaker 1: with Joey. I liked how he handled it. It definitely
Speaker 1: made it seem in the preview or trailer for the
Speaker 1: episodes that the dad was going to kind of be
Speaker 1: like a dick, even though and he was like the
Speaker 1: complete opposite. I thought he was great.
Speaker 3: I thought, well, he started off the convo kind of
Speaker 3: not going in on Joey but just having a hard,
Speaker 3: serious chat with him about like what's going on. And
Speaker 3: I could tell Joey was like because he was kind
Speaker 3: of like, well, I don't know. And Joey was like, well, okay,
Speaker 3: let me help you, like, let me give you some information.
Speaker 1: And I think he like really respected.
Speaker 3: That me too, And I thought they had a great
Speaker 3: conversation and it went really well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I liked her dad a lot.
Speaker 1: Me too. I thought he was great, like I actually
Speaker 1: I really liked him. I was like, oh, I really
Speaker 1: like this guy.
Speaker 3: Maria was really emotional, a lot of tears, both like happy, sad,
Speaker 3: scared all in one.
Speaker 1: I think, yeah, And then we see I thought her.
Speaker 3: Best friend was her sister for like the first half
Speaker 3: of the hometown. They kind of look alike.
Speaker 1: Well, I think she's Greek. Yeah, so I mean I assume,
Speaker 1: but I could be wrong. She just looks Greek.
Speaker 3: They don't look alike, You're right, they just both look
Speaker 3: like they're Greek, and they both have dark, like almost
Speaker 3: black hair.
Speaker 1: But Maria does not tell Joey how she feels.
Speaker 3: No, and I feel like it was all set up
Speaker 3: perfectly for her to do that, because it's like the
Speaker 3: date went so well, and then they watched this little
Speaker 3: montage of her as a kid.
Speaker 2: Oh my god, you know what I saw in TikTok.
Speaker 3: I don't know if this is going to resonate with
Speaker 3: you because you probably haven't seen this movie. But I'm
Speaker 3: scrolling through TikTok and do you know the movie The
Speaker 3: Pacifier with Vin Diesel.
Speaker 1: Yeah, she's in it.
Speaker 3: Really, yes, she plays one of the girl scouts because
Speaker 3: the like second youngest kid that he's taken care of.
Speaker 3: He becomes their like dead mother or whatever, and they're
Speaker 3: getting picked on by the boys and she is like
Speaker 3: one of.
Speaker 2: The girls here.
Speaker 3: She's like three lines. I was like, this is crazy.
Speaker 2: I know, I watched that bee like a million times
Speaker 2: as a kid.
Speaker 3: I'm just scrolling through TikTok and then all of a sudden,
Speaker 3: it's like Maria in the Passifier.
Speaker 1: Wow, I know that's cool.
Speaker 3: I told my sister. She was like, I saw that
Speaker 3: like three weeks ago. I was like, okay, never mind.
Speaker 1: So yeah, so she doesn't see how she feels, and
Speaker 1: I think then we go to the airplane hangar.
Speaker 3: I love this rostrum relication. I know that it's like
Speaker 3: been used a whole bunch, but I just think it
Speaker 3: looks so iconic.
Speaker 1: It's just so dramatic.
Speaker 3: I know it's giving, it's like dripping in drama.
Speaker 1: So right before Joey's about to give out the roses,
Speaker 1: Maria pulls to the side. You could see the other girls.
Speaker 2: Rachel is ready to throw hands.
Speaker 3: She's so mad, which I don't blame her, because this
Speaker 3: happened like little last week where he pulled Maria's side
Speaker 3: right before the Rose ceremony. Maria's dress, her green dress
Speaker 3: from the last ros ceremony, and then this purple dress
Speaker 3: were insane, but specifically this purple dress, like she looked
Speaker 3: amazing the high slit, like I was like, this is unbelievable.
Speaker 1: I was probably freezing in that Hangarun'd assuming.
Speaker 3: Oh, one hundred percent. I remember the last Row ceremony
Speaker 3: I was at. It was so cold, and you're standing
Speaker 3: there in these little dresses and strappy heels, trying to
Speaker 3: look cute while you're freezing your ass off.
Speaker 1: And that was probably another reason why Rachel's like really.
Speaker 2: One hundred percent.
Speaker 3: She's like, I've been standing here for thirty minutes already,
Speaker 3: I'm freezing cold.
Speaker 1: Like, but I mean, Maria missed the opportunity. She didn't
Speaker 1: do it. She didn't do it when she had the opportunity.
Speaker 1: So she's like, this is my one last chance. And
Speaker 1: you could just see when she was saying it in
Speaker 1: Joey's face.
Speaker 2: He was kind of like, I think she knew in
Speaker 2: that moment she was going home.
Speaker 1: I think she knew by his response, yeah, because he
Speaker 1: just couldn't even like smile. He was just kind of no.
Speaker 3: He was like almost like fuck, like like you're going
Speaker 3: I'm about to send this girl home, and now she's
Speaker 3: like confessing her feelings to me. Do you think she
Speaker 3: went into that night knowing she was gonna pull Joey
Speaker 3: or do you think it was like a game time decision?
Speaker 1: Uh? The way she i I want to say she knew,
Speaker 1: but like I feel like the way she clapped clapped,
Speaker 1: like she went like she she'd clap seemed kind of spontaneous.
Speaker 3: Like she was like, oh my gosh, she's about to
Speaker 3: hand out the first row. Was like it's now or never.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think she might have like yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I think she might have like maybe she thought she
Speaker 1: was gonna do it at the beginning and then decided
Speaker 1: like she backed out, and then right at the end
Speaker 1: she's like, fuck it, I'm gonna do it.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Maybe I think it was the right decision. I mean, like,
Speaker 3: if I was one of the other girls, I'd be
Speaker 3: super pissed. But if I'm in Marie issues, like, I
Speaker 3: think she did the right thing because she was gonna
Speaker 3: go home. I think either way that night, and had
Speaker 3: he not given her row, she would have always wondered
Speaker 3: if it was because she didn't open up to him. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and if she had would have made a difference. So
Speaker 3: at least she can leave with no regret. She left
Speaker 3: all her cards on the table. I actually was kind
Speaker 3: of surprised she went home. I didn't really know who
Speaker 3: I thought he was gonna send home at this road ceremony.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I thought Maria was going was going to Fantasy Suites.
Speaker 3: I've had a hard time the last like two weeks
Speaker 3: predicting who's gonna be Final four and now who was
Speaker 3: going to be Final three, just because his connections are
Speaker 3: quite strong with everyone.
Speaker 1: I thought Maria was going to Fantasy Suites until Niagara Falls,
Speaker 1: and it just felt like it just felt like the
Speaker 1: vibes between those two were just and.
Speaker 2: All his concerns were coming to the surface.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think it was kind of over from there.
Speaker 1: That's kind of what I.
Speaker 3: Thought, Yeah, especially after the way he handled their argument.
Speaker 2: Last week, and I don't think where he.
Speaker 3: Was kind of like it almost like he was making
Speaker 3: peace with her sending herself home, and it's hard to
Speaker 3: then like backtrack from there.
Speaker 1: And I don't think like her last second effort, like
Speaker 1: I think she should have did it too, because I
Speaker 1: agree with like not like leaving with no regrets. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and I think that would have sucked to left thinking that,
Speaker 1: like if I would have said it, maybe maybe, but
Speaker 1: I just yeah, I don't. I didn't think it was
Speaker 1: gonna work it and it didn't, and Maria went home.
Speaker 2: I was dying though at Rachel when she came back in.
Speaker 2: She was like what was that about?
Speaker 3: And Maria was like, I don't know. She was like,
Speaker 3: you don't know, you just pulled him and you don't
Speaker 3: know why. She was like, what is going on?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was like, thank you Rachel for asking.
Speaker 1: So, yeah, she doesn't he sends Maria home.
Speaker 3: She doesn't seem that like I think she was either
Speaker 3: in shock or she was standing there being like it's me,
Speaker 3: I'm going home based on the conversation we just happen,
Speaker 3: because she was like almost like there wasn't a huge
Speaker 3: emotional response from her, and I feel like we've seen
Speaker 3: her be really emotional all season.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I think she. I think she realized
Speaker 1: when she pulled Joey, she realized that that she was
Speaker 1: gonna get she would going to get the rose, and
Speaker 1: she's like, okay, I just in her head, I think
Speaker 1: she went like, Okay, A flip switched and she's like,
Speaker 1: I just got rejected.
Speaker 2: Switch flipped.
Speaker 1: What did I say?
Speaker 2: A flip switch switched?
Speaker 1: A switch flip and she was just.
Speaker 2: Like okay, like it's not me, brace yourself, be.
Speaker 1: Tough, like it's not you, Like that's it, move on.
Speaker 1: And I think that's what she did, and I think
Speaker 1: that's why we don't really see her get emotional, even
Speaker 1: though I'm sure at some point on her own she
Speaker 1: probably was.
Speaker 2: Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1: I think that was for the camera, which I think
Speaker 1: most people would what.
Speaker 2: You thought she was kind of like being tough for
Speaker 2: the camera.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess I'm but I'm also like putting myself
Speaker 1: in that situation, and I feel like if it was me,
Speaker 1: I'd be like, Okay, it's it's not you like fucking
Speaker 1: tough enough right now?
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, but that's very specific to you. I
Speaker 3: think you're projecting.
Speaker 2: A little bit. Maybe, but she might have been that process.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm projecting, just speculating. Well, hopefully we don't
Speaker 1: know what we're talking you know, we're guessing the whole time.
Speaker 3: Hopefully when we eventually have Marie on the podcast, we'll
Speaker 3: be able to ask her more about it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because there's so much that happened with her this season.
Speaker 3: I mean, she has been a huge storyline from episode
Speaker 3: one to now, so I'm looking forward to eventually getting
Speaker 3: to chat with her and also just getting to see
Speaker 3: what she has to say a woman tell all.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we'll see and then there, I would say, there's
Speaker 1: definitely going to be a push for her to be
Speaker 1: the next Bachelorette.
Speaker 3: I mean, I've been seeing a lot of people online
Speaker 3: rooting for her to be the next bachelorette.
Speaker 2: So maybe we'll see.
Speaker 1: We'll see. Okay, guys, thank you very much for listening
Speaker 1: to the happy hour that is our episode. To make
Speaker 1: sure you tune in later this week because we're gonna
Speaker 1: have comedian Jared Freed on the podcast to give his
Speaker 1: breakdown on the entire.
Speaker 2: Season, and be sure to subscribe.
Speaker 3: We have new and exclusive interviews every single week.
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening. Bye,