Thursday, September 18, 2014

The Singles Project Episode 1.06


The Singles Project started off slowly, but it’s really starting to get interesting. But if you think about it logically, it makes sense. Now that some of the singles are starting to seriously date and commit to a single person, we get to see the beginning of real relationships. First dates are only interesting and fun to watch if they’re bad. Yeah, I said it, but it’s true. As humans, we like to see others in uncomfortable situations, just as long as we’re not in those situations.

Kerry
Kerry is still seeing Tripp, and it looks like this might be going somewhere. However, there is some family drama that might cause Kerry some issues. Her parents don’t like Tripp. He isn’t the type of guy they want to see her with. Kerry says they don’t like his long hair, and frankly, neither does Kerry. Kerry’s mother also does not like that she is kissing this guy she barely knows on national TV. As a result of all of this, Kerry’s mother isn’t talking to her right now. Tripp defends himself and talks himself up, but all he can really say is that he’s not a starving artist. I know a lot of people would revel in the fat that their parents don’t like whom they are dating, but it seems to bother Kerry. However, she acts like a grown up, for once, and she decides to continue seeing Tripp.

Later in the episode, Kerry visits her aunt to talk about the drama between her mother and Tripp. We finally have confirmation that Kerry is narcissistic, and she knows she is. She states that she likes the fact that Tripp is just like her. If you like the fact that someone is just like you, you are admitting the fact that you are in love with yourself. A healthy dose of this is fine, but something about Kerry tells me that she loves herself a little too much. When you fall in love with someone who is just like you, I tend to think there will be problems down the line. There is a difference between having things in common and being a clone of someone. Two clones do not a good match make.

We see Kerry go out to a bar with two of her friends. While she is there, she meets a nice guy who asks her out on a date, but she turns him down because she’s seeing Tripp. Her friends tell her not to settle so quickly. In their opinion, it’s too early to be exclusive with Tripp. A little while later, she meets another guy at the same bar, but this time she gives him her number. I must admit this made me nervous for Kerry. We are seeing the negative part of this weekly TV aspect. Everyone sees what you’re doing, and whom you’re seeing. So Tripp can see that Kerry is giving her phone number to some other guy. In normal life, this wouldn’t be a problem and is even natural, but if you’re life is basically being seen live on TV, you really have to watch what you say and do. The traditional “player” and the idea of playing the field don’t work. Most people keep their options open when first dating. They don’t commit immediately, but they wouldn’t go tell the person they’re dating that they are thinking of going out with someone else. But being on this show, these singles have to be very careful.

Lee
We first see Lee at a boxing class. He thinks the date with Ericka went well, and he is optimistic and hopeful, and he thinks he sees the same in her eyes. He confidently states that he is not worried about Francesco. However, he says that if Ericka goes out with Francesco again, it would mean she is not “all in”, and he would question whether he should continue dating her. I understand Lee’s position here. He doesn’t want to waste his time, and he only has this national TV exposure for a limited time. He has to make the most of it.

Ericka
Ericka has a lunch date with Francesco. After the date with Lee last week, she is nervous about what Francesco might have to say. He is obviously not happy with what he saw. He says he saw how she looked at Lee, and he didn’t like the look in her eyes. So basically he’s jealous of the fact that she is more attracted to Lee… She tells Francesco that she wants to see both of them, but Francesco says he can’t play games and that seeing her with Lee would hurt him too much. Ericka says, “I can’t know what I want if I don’t explore the options in front of me.” I totally understand that, and that is totally natural. She wants to see what works the best and feels right, but as I said before, the nature of this television show doesn’t seem to allow for that.

Later we see Ericka with her friends at a restaurant. She tells them Francesco has “bowed out”. Lee meets Ericka and her friends at the restaurant for dinner. Lee immediately comes out and says that he’s all in and doesn’t want to date anyone else. He’s fast at commitment. I guess he knows what he wants, and he wants Ericka. Erika admits to Lee that she went on another date with Francesco, but she reassures him that Francesco didn’t like her dating Lee and that he is done. Lee gives Ericka an ultimatum telling her that he wants all or nothing. If she wants to date other guys, he won’t date her, and he doesn’t want to date others either. Ericka is nervous, at first, but she can’t be wishy-washy about this. She takes the chance and agrees to exclusively date Lee.

Joey
Joey has a date scheduled with a guy named Keith to go horseback riding. Keith seems to be a man of mystery…literally… He doesn’t show up for the date… Joey calls him, and Keith gives some vague excuse. He feels from watching the show that they have nothing in common, and the date would be a waste of time. However, I think by the stuttering Keith is doing on the phone, he just got cold feet. He probably thought he could date on national TV with no problem, but then got nervous about it. I also call BS on his lame excuse. Keith has only seen a little bit of edited footage on TV; it’s not enough to know if you will get along with or have chemistry with another person. Joey takes it very well and is very kind to the guy on the phone, but you can tell he’s acting for the camera. He’s pissed off and rightly so. He did say he drove over an hour out of the city to meet Keith, and now it’s all for naught.

Tabasum
At the beginning of the episode, Tabasum and Brian go on the Today Show where Kathy Lee and Hoda pick out dates for them… Um, I don’t think I would trust the matchmaking abilities of two drunken middle-aged women who probably haven’t dated in twenty years… just saying… But Tabasum agrees, probably under duress by producers, to go out with one of the guys chosen for her. She goes for a golf date with Ken. Tabasum has never golfed before, which we immediately see since on the very first swing she gets a divot. During the date, Ken touches her, and Tabasum says she gets goosebumps, but not the good kind. She also mentions that Alex, her hot date from last week, has not contacted her since she announced her real age. Ken is very interested in having kids, and he asks Tabasum about her plans for kids. Tabasum tells him she has already frozen her eggs… Am I the only one who thinks this is a strange question for a first date? You just met, and you’re already talking about kids? I guess older people have to talk about that immediately since their biological clocks are ticking… Tabasum says she enjoyed the date, but she tells Ken she wants to be free to see others as well.

Alex eventually does contact Tabasum again, and the two of them go out on another date. She explains that she lost time focusing on her career and not dating. She now wants that time back. Alex says he’s still interested in dating her, and he gives the trite phrase “age is just a number”. They end their date by kissing again. I think the two of them seem good together, but I don’t know if Alex is really okay with the age difference, or if he is just going along with it so he doesn’t look like a jerk on national television.

Brian
Like Tabasum, Brian is set up by Kathy Lee and Hoda from the Today Show. He goes out on a date with Jenna. During the date, Jenna calls out Brian for following the other potential date on Twitter, but not Jenna. He lies and says he couldn’t find her on Twitter. When she says her Twitter handle is just her name, he admits he never tried to look her up… I think this is the point where the date was doomed… Brian says he hasn’t dated a white woman in years. It’s interesting that he says that this week, but not last week when he went out with Kennedy, another white girl. He says he is offended by people who like pop culture. Obviously Brian is a hipster; he hates everything mainstream just because it’s mainstream. I don’t get that… Just be yourself. You may not like everything mainstream or even a lot of mainstream things, but it is impossible to naturally hate everything in mainstream pop-culture. And I take offense to him saying that he is offended by the majority of people who do like pop-culture. I personally am addicted to pop-culture. It is my life force. Furthermore, does Brian not realize that he is on a reality television show, which is itself mainstream, and he is alienating all of the viewers?... Brian and Jenna obviously do not get along, and Jenna is offended by exactly what I was just ranting about. At least Brian is honest about one thing. When a producer asks him why he thinks he’s single, he responds, “I’m single because I’m a dick.” My response to this? #AsMitchellSays Amen, sister friend!

So far Brian and Joey are the only ones who have had very little luck in their dating. Tabasum seems to like Alex. Kerry and Tripp are going strong, yet she might have screwed up by giving her number to another guy. And Ericka and Lee are now exclusively dating. I wonder what is going on this week? More drama or more success in love? I’ll definitely be tuning in next week to find out. 

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