This week was the season finale of The Singles Project. After a season of highs and lows for the
singles, it all comes down to this. Who has found love, or at least the
potential for love, and who has fallen flat? Let’s jump in…
Joey
This episode starts with Joey and Jack going on their second
date. Since it’s fall they go out to an apple orchard to pick apples. Almost
immediately, Jack raises his dislike of the interaction between Joey and Ryan
at the end of last week’s episode. Jack didn’t like them kissing and holding
hands right after they had had a great date. I’ve brought this up in the past
several episode recaps, but it’s worth repeating. Yet again, we see the problem
of living your love life while simultaneously having it broadcast for everyone
to see, but I’ll leave it at that. I’ve beaten that dead horse past
recognition… Joey says he’s serious about Jack, and Jack says he wants Joey to prove
that. They have a romantic date, and at one point, Joey calls Jack “crazy”. The
word “crazy” has a negative connotation, and to me it seemed Jack looked a
little offended. So Joey immediately tried to rectify his mistake by saying he
is a fun and good type of crazy… Joey expresses his desire to kiss Jack. Joey
even says in his interview that Jack may be “the one”. At the end of the date,
Joey looks like he wants to kiss Jack again, but Jack says he doesn’t want to
kiss yet; he wants to wait until it feels right.
Later in the episode, Joey is at Tabasum’s birthday party,
and Jack shows up with a pie he made with the apples they had picked on their
date… This is kinda strange, but it’s adorable. By the end of the episode, I
think it’s safe to say that Joey and Jack are now dating. Joey had a rough go
of it on the show. It was looking like he was going to strike out, but at the
last minute, he made a connection with Jack. I like Joey, but I feel he was
playing up his personality for the cameras. Hopefully, he and Jack get to know
each other genuinely; I think they have a shot at making it last.
Kerry
This week Kerry and Tripp take a trip (Haha…sorry, I had to
do it…) to South Carolina. When they drive up to the house, Tripp’s mother
opens the door to greet them. I loved this woman. She is a boisterous and
overly-friendly typical Southern woman, at least on the outside. I add that
last part because southern women are notorious for being fake. Tripp’s mother
could have been dreading meeting Kerry, but southern hospitality requires you
to put a smile on your face and never let the other person know what you’re
really feeling. I should know…my mother and family do the same thing…it’s
normal to us… So on the outside, Tripp’s mother seems to like Kerry, and she
says that she likes seeing them together and that they seem to compliment ach
other. Then comes the uncomfortable question… Tripp’s mother asks Kerry if her
mother likes Tripp any better. You knew it was coming… How can a mother not be
curious about why her son is unjustly disliked? So far, this entire meeting has
made Kerry very nervous and uncomfortable. She says her mother hasn’t gotten to
know Tripp, and then she says something about “projecting” and “displacing”
that I didn’t quite understand. She was just dropping psychology terms either
in hopes of confusing Tripp’s mom or sounding smart or both…
Later, while Kerry and Tripp are alone, Tripp says he’s
happy with where their relationship is going. Kerry says she really likes him,
and she didn’t expect things to be moving so fast. She says this feels like it
could be a happy ending. I don’t know if there’s much chance for a happy ending
considering they are sleeping in separate bedrooms. Tripp’s mother made sure of
that… Tripp tells Kerry he wants her to open up, trust him, and let him in. However,
Kerry is a bit reserved. She has been hurt before, so she thinks twice before
letting just anyone in. While sitting on the dock by the lake, Tripp talks
about having kids and how he hopes to one day bring them to this lake where he
has childhood memories. They decide to be impulsive and jump in the lake. Of
course, Kerry, who doesn’t seem to be shy when discussing bathroom topics like
giving anal birth to a watermelon, announces that she has to pee and proceeds
to do so in the lake. Tripp says that he is swimming in warm water and then
yells “I’m swimming in your piss!!” Perhaps that counts as a happy ending?...
Later we see Kerry and her mother walking together. They
meet to talk about Kerry’s trip to South Carolina. Kerry’s mom takes the
opportunity to throw some shade saying Tripp didn’t have to miss work while
they were gone… She’s obviously worried about Tripp’s art profession. Kerry
springs it on her mom that Tripp is waiting at a coffee shop for them, and they
walk to meet him. The chat among the three starts out awkwardly. Kerry’s mom breaks
down and asks them if they are “boyfriend and girlfriend”. They respond, “yes”
almost in unison. Tripp obviously wants to impress Kerry’s mother and make her
happy. Kerry’s mother admits she was engaged to her father after only a few
weeks of knowing each other. She gives her blessing for their relationship and
says she wants Kerry to be happy, but I have a feeling the want to not seem
hypocritical is a big factor as well. The season has been an overall positive
one for Kerry. She found love rather quickly, and I think Kerry and Tripp make
a fun and interesting couple. I wish them the best. I will admit, I didn’t like
Kerry at the beginning of the show, but as she got to know Tripp and let her
guard down, I grew to like her.
Lee & Ericka
We see Lee out with his friends having a few drinks and a
good time. He says his “girlfriend” is coming to join them, and his friends
heckle him for using “the word”. Ericka gets to the restaurant, and the guys
are already drunk. She says she felt like she was walking into a frat house…
They get on the topic of love, and Lee says whenever you’re not looking for
love is when you find it… Exactly how drunk is Lee? Does he not realize he is
making no sense? He is currently on a TV show all about dating and looking for
love… Lee’s friends start asking Ericka about her feelings and intentions
toward Lee, but she gets uncomfortable. She and Lee haven’t really talked about
this one-on-one yet. She feels ambushed, and she wants to be able to have a conversation
like that in private. Ericka gets visibly angry and upset, and she decides to
leave. Lee follows her… Ericka feels Lee’s brother is always interrogating
their relationship, but it’s only been 8 weeks… Lee knows he’s drunk and he
doesn’t want to say anything he might regret, so he puts her in a cab to go
home. At the last minute he tells her she needs to communicate and think about
if she want this to work. Ericka replies, “So do you, honey…”
Two days after the disastrous meeting, Ericka and Lee still
haven’t spoken. Ericka has lunch with her mother, and she tells her mother that
she feels Lee has bullied her into the position she is in. She clarifies that
she is not afraid of love, but she has doubts. Her mother gives her some sound
advice saying that you can’t over think things when it comes to matters of the
heart; let him in and see where it takes you. It seems to me we’ve heard this
before…last week…in the pool…from Lee himself. I guess Ericka has to hear it
from her mother before she believes it. Mother knows best, after all.
Later at Tabasum’s birthday party, Lee says he has tried to
contact Ericka, but she has ignored him. He later approaches her and apologizes.
Ericka says she enjoys spending time with him, but she feels it’s moving too
fast. Lee says he’s willing to jump off a cliff for her and that he has already
fallen for her. Lee and Ericka started the season on friendly terms giving each
other dating advice, but you could see and almost feel the chemistry between
the two of them through the TV. I think the aspect of being on TV might have
been a little much and tested their willingness to be together, but ultimately
they are ending the season as a couple. I wonder how it will work out. I
predict that now they are on their own, not on TV, things might be less
volatile.
Tabasum
Tabasum says she’s done dating younger men. She wants to
date more mature men her age. She goes on a date with Vincent, a 40-something
British guy who now lives in New York. He brings her chocolate, and they take a
carriage ride eating Cadbury chocolate while getting to know each other.
Tabasum says she feels like she’s in a rom-com. I agree, but I would add the
qualifier “cheesy” in front of “rom-com”. Really… Who takes carriage rides
anymore?... The subject of accents comes up, and Vincent tries to do a “Louisiana
accent”, per Tabasum’s request. Now I am from Louisiana, and I can say that the
idiots on Tru Blood do a better job,
and that’s really saying something because they are TERRIBLE!... Vincent says
he wants to have kids and a family. Tabasum says she really wants that special someone
to spend time with, share her life with, and come home to everyday. They end up
cuddling in the back of the carriage.
This week is Tabasum’s birthday, and she has a birthday party.
She invited Vincent, and is hopeful he will come. Vincent does show up, and he
brings her a birthday present: as horseshoe necklace to commemorate their
carriage ride. Nice move Vincent! Jewelry is always a good gift idea for a
woman, but normally on a second date, I would say it’s creepy and over the top.
However, this was a small, obviously inexpensive, and meaningful gift, making
it a sweet gesture… Tabasum says to her friend that she doesn’t feel fireworks
when she’s with Vincent. Her friend tells her to see where it goes; things
happen in time. Tabasum agrees to give Vincent a chance. Tabasum has by far
been my favorite on the show. She has proven herself to be a strong woman with
a strong character who respects herself. I wish her the utmost success in every
aspect of life. Who knows, maybe she and Vincent can make this work.
Brian
Brian was barely in this episode at all. Being that this was
the last episode, and he had no prospects on the horizon, the producers sorta
gave up on him. Brian admits that he’s difficult, and he believes he has the
right to be difficult. He goes through the list of his failed dates naming the aspects
of each of them that he wants in a woman. If he’s looking for the perfect
woman, he will live a lonely life. I’m afraid it’s just impossible. Some things
you have to concede to, as long as they aren’t deal-breakers for you. I’m
starting to learn that lesson myself. Brian may have crashed and burned on the
show, but he hasn’t given up. His search continues.
Overall, I think this show was great. It was a new social
experiment giving us a look in on the modern technological world of dating
while at the same time allowing us to help clueless singles improve their
chances of finding love. I hope the show comes back for a new season with new
singles and in a new city. With two-thirds of the singles finding possible
matches in the span of about two months, I would gauge the show as a success.
Let’s see if we can help out another group of people.
