Our big thematic take-away from this week’s episode of The Bachelor was: “Don’t poke the bear,” a quote from this season’s villain, Courtney Robertson. What we learned is if you poke Courtney, she will not only poke back, she’ll also want to “rip your head off” and/or “verbally assault you” (not to be confused with a very different type of assault, that of the “with a pepper grinder” variety, as shared by one of this week’s dumpees, Monica Spannbauer, in this video.)
In-depth analysis of the situations presented in episode 4.
Ok, enough about us. Let’s get to what some of our other Bachelor Nation favorites had to say about this week’s one-on-ones, group date, cocktail party, rose ceremony and, of course, the Emily vs. Courtney show-down.
Here are what some of your favorite Bachelor/ette characters had to say about episode 4:
Jenna Burke’s “Over-Analyst” take: “First date up: Rachel. My lovely New Yorker! Rachel mentioned her communication issues lead to her breakup in her previous relationship. This kind of shocked me. Surprisingly, we really don’t talk about past relationships with each other that much. It’s just not relevant but what I learned is that it has SO much to do with finding a connection with Ben. I wasn’t able to open up due to my previous breakup. But sometimes, it just takes that right person. Rachel has so many great qualities and has so much to offer in a relationship. She’s easy to talk to, she’s adventurous and absolutely beautiful inside and out. I also want to point out that she didn’t necessarily quit her job for just Ben. Timing was perfect and she was looking for another job anyways. The girl is all about taking risks. I’m pulling for you, Rach!”
Read more from Jenna at Bachelor.TV….
From Reid Rosenthal: “3. Section 3 we will focus on the two faced and manipulative Courtney.
3a: Courtney is one of the names read off on the group date card. The girls go on about how group dates are hard and of course Courtney chimes in with “I think group dates are really easy” just to annoy everyone…I think we’ve found the devil ladies and gents.
3b: Her contrived metaphor linking the art of fly-fishing to catching men.
3c: She wears one of those lame LA hats while fishing. You know, the ones people in LA wear when it’s too hot to be wearing a hat. It’s worn just for style just like she is there for looks and no other function.
3d: Lindzi and Kacie get pouty when Courtney catches a fish first. Come on girls. Courtney caught the fish and all I could imagine was Penelope from SNL saying “Actually…..I speak fish soooooo…really I’m a mermaid and Flounder is my best friend.”
3e: I’m convinced that Courtney is the strangest, scariest red wine drinker I’ve ever seen. Its almost like she read the book on how to sip red wine like Snow Whites evil stepmother right up to the evil laugh.”
Read more from Reid on Bachelor.TV….
Dave Good on episode 4: “The girls all get on horses and they follow Ben to a river where they will be going fly-fishing. That would be super fun but is also kind of hard and not a really romantic date for the girls.
Courtney says she is going to “turn this group date into a one-on-one date” then steals Ben to herself and takes him up river.
The other girls are freaking out and hating her more and more. I am going to be the devils advocate here and give her credit. She is working it. Most people really hate on her but she is there for Ben and not the girls. I do agree she can be a little obnoxious in her way about it though.”
Read more from Dave Good on Bachelor.TV….
The 411 on episode 4 from The Bachelor Expert: “Cocktail Party: Cue the meow-down Emily vs. Courtney. Emily should have not used her time to talk about Courtney. Ben clearly did not want to know names and Emily slipped who it was. Never dis the person with a rose. This always makes the Bachelor and Bachelorette try to prove the person wrong. Examples Ashley with Bentley, Jilly with Wes, Ali with Frank and Rated-R, etc. Emily tells Casey S what she told Ben. I forgot Casey S was on the show and she is friends with Courtney, interesting. Casey S goes and tells Courtney which was uncalled for, don’t fuel the already blazing fire. Courtney gets angry and says she wants to “shave her eyebrows off,” “wants to verbally assault her.” Emily does not know what she got herself into, this is a lose-lose situation. Courtney is too good at this game.”
Read more from The Bachelor Expert….
Wise and funny pictorial words from Ashley Spivey:
Then Ben kisses Courtney and it only reinforces how much he really likes her. He can’t keep his hands off of her! Ps – Don’t they look naked?
I don’t know if Courtney is just a really great actress or if she is just really good at knowing how guys work, but because she is on a group date she decides to make Ben feel like she no longer feels important to him. This is different than what Kacie B. did during her 1-on-1 time with Ben. Kacie was giving off a little desperate vibe – Courtney is making Ben feel like it is his fault. Because he really likes her, he decides to show her how important she is to him.
Ben gives Courtney the group date rose and America screams at their TVs.”
The fashionable Natalie Getz weighs in: “In preparation for the rose ceremony, I spy Blakeley being a selfless girlfriend. I love hanging with my girlfriends, so it was refreshing to see them getting along. Blakeley took time out of her day to touch up Emily’s roots. This is too cute! It shows that Blakeley is a good girl who just needs a little help with her style. Style reflects who you are whether you want to admit it or not. Blakeley’s scandalous wardrobe threw the girls and me completely off.
GetzStyle Tip: Dress to reflect your personality. Blakeley is clearly a sweet girl who was misunderstood by constantly having her breasts shoved up to her chin. It’s ok to dress sexy, but there are classier ways to do it! I’d also like to point out how cute it is that Elyse is feeding Emily’s drink to her. This shows a lot about Elyse and that she is a girl’s girl. She is slowly regaining my trust in that she isn’t a total ass kicker. This also shows that Emily is a likable girl with all of her friends pampering her.”
Read more from Natalie on Bachelor.TV….
Thoughts from West Lee from Ashley Hebert’s season: “If you try to analyze dating the Bachelor or Bachelorette as if it were real life, you’re going to go crazy. Instead, you need to embrace the uniqueness of the experience. In real life, relationships typically develop slowly over time. Here, they happen so fast, that all the dates with other people almost NEED to happen for the lead to be sure of his final choice. So to Kacie B, and all future Kacie Bs, I say this: Encourage your Bachelor to go on other dates. Encourage him to explore his feelings for other people. Because in the end, if he picks you, you want him to do so knowing he made an intelligent, well thought out decision. That way you might actually stand a chance of lasting longer than a Super Bowl halftime show.”
Read more from West at WestSideStories….
Thoughts from Ben’s BFF Constantine Tzortzis: “Something wicked this way comes”- The final cocktail party seemed to have a sense of foreboding that a large designer shoe was about to step on everyone’s feelings. Courtney validates this by stating “a bomb might drop soon”, in some circles this is known as a rigged bet. Emily finds herself compelled to warn Ben about Courtney’s “two-faced” behavior. I am totally against this idea. Yes, it sounds reasonable and noble but in reality you’re still getting to know Ben and whatever you say will end up as a negative towards you. As my famous saying goes “the road home is paved with good intentions”. Naturally, Ben ignores her words and tells Emily in the most subtle of ways, to mind her own business and not worry about the other girls.
Later we have another cameo from Casey S. who seems to enjoy the Kool-Aid Courtney is serving as we see her defend Courtney against the onslaught from the rest of the girls who actually appear to be bonding. Could this be a result of Courtney’s unilateral actions? This of course only sets off a chain of events that will ultimately lead to me yelling at the screen, “Courtney, put down the gas can and step away from the fire”. The fire in this case is Emily and to be fair it’s put out rather quickly. It’s hard to figure out what really transpired here but I feel once Emily’s conversation with Ben didn’t go as planned she sort of backed off her soap box and went into denial mode over the whole thing. No worry where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
From Marissa May: “Cocktail party and rose ceremony lead to high tensions and more “winning”. Courtney’s use of this phrase, her lack of inflection when she speaks and zero movement in her forehead lead me to only one answer when it comes to her: she’s an alien that studied Janice Dickinson and pop culture about 5 months before she came down to earth to be on the show. The phrase “winning” was overplayed MONTHS before this show. Alien is my answer.
The drama ensues all through the ceremony as Ben waits to give Emily the rose until the end. But not before some classic Courtney lines: after hearing about going to Puerto Rico “I was just there two months ago”, and when clinking champagne glasses “I can go higher than anyone.” Alien, I tell ya.”
Read more at MsMarissaMay.com….
From one of our fave, fanatical Bachelor bloggers, Sophienette: “Here are 3 points I want to highlight to explain why I refuse to hate on Courtney:
1) The other girls hating on her (spotted the little pause and “ahem” from Emily just before reading out Courtney’s name? How awful and petty!) is slightly nauseating.
2) Her long-term ex (and this time one who gives his name) is defending her publicly. Do I believe him more than the editing by the producers trying to make the show exiting? Yep (and I LOVE those guys!).
3) At least she has the guts to face her accuser(s) and fight back. Unlike Emily who goes behind her back, and lies to her face when confronted… coward!”
Read more from Sophienette at Insomniac Ramblings….
From former Bachelorette Jillian Harris: “At the rose ceremony things really hit the fan. If I had to pick a side between Courtney and Emily I’d go for Emily. Yes, I think it was wrong for her to use her time with Ben to talk smack about Courtney – and Courtney DID win on that one, but I KNOW from experience how much that situation can consume you. The littlest things become the hugest things and you lose perspective. Bottom line: Emily noticed something off and wanted to protect herself and someone she was crushing on. I get it. It was wrong but if I’m picking sides then the blonde cutie is it.
THAT said, I also feel for Courtney. I am sure once I meet her after all of this is done I will just love her. Everyone has a good heart and this experience is SO difficult sometimes it brings out the best in you, and sometimes the worst. I also think that Courtney is just getting their quintessential bad edit (but it’s working on me!). So until I meet her in person or am otherwise notified, I am not a fan.”
Read more from Jillian on her blog….
The weekly Bachelor recap from NYmag.com: “Courtney announces (to us) her intention to get the rose, and takes Ben upstairs in her bikini and they kiss for a while in a way that totally makes it look like they’re naked (Courtney the Model knows how to block a shot!). Even though we know that Courtney is totally happy and fine, she tells Ben that she’s “losing sight” of what they have together. So Ben practically trips over his feet running downstairs to go get the rose and give it to Courtney instead of Kacie. We are then shown Courtney rubbing the rose all over her face while saying “Winning! Winning!” (For real.)”
A tongue-in-cheek take from blogger Knox McCoy: “Courtney does more of her thing: evil evil evil, snark snark snark, plot plot plot and all the sudden she has Ben alone upstream talking about her natural talent in Fly Fishing. Just when you think Ben has broken the glass ceiling of observational stupidity, he goes to infinity and beyond even our understanding of how poorly someone can perceive people.
We hear Ben and Courtney talking about their favorite kinds of mustard…(Dijon? Really guys?) and this is officially the worst episode in the history of human interactions. I would literally rather listen to Miley Cyrus sing The Climb for 24 straight hours through a voice box simulator that people with throat cancer have to use than watch this episode.”
Prose on episode 4 from The Final Prose: “Time for a group date! This date was not very conducive for one-on-one time…first they go horseback riding (Lyndzi of course almost pees herself) and then they go fly fishing. Ben spends some time with Kacie showing her how to fish, which she loves, but then focuses in on Courtney, who catches an actual FISH. The bitch.
Read more from The Final Prose….
From the host extraordinaire, Chris Harrison: “The group date was pure Park City, horseback riding and trout fishing — with a little bit of back stabbing, trash-talking and emotion on the side. The relationships between Courtney and most of the women continued to be strained, but particularly the one between her and Emily. Courtney didn’t seem to put any energy into changing the direction her relationship was going with the women, but she put a lot of energy into improving her connection with Ben. Courtney is a great player and incredibly competitive; Ben is the ultimate prize and she has made it very clear she will do anything to win that prize. Now the big question is: Is this a big game to Courtney or does she really have feelings for Ben? I mentioned Michelle Money at the top of this blog and it’s ironic we’re near her hometown. I wonder if Courtney is much like Michelle Money during her season. Michelle had a quick wit and sharp dry sense of humor that was largely misunderstood during the season, but she is now one of the most beloved figures in our Bachelor family. Courtney also seems to have that dry sense of humor and a sharp tongue. Will she also end up becoming a beloved member of our family? Only time will tell.”
Read more from Chris Harrison at EW.com….
From Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky: “Let’s move on to Ben’s date with Jennifer. I was cracking up when Jennifer called their date “sketchy.” She’s funny! It was a very cool date, although I don’t know if I would want to wear a harness while wearing a bathing suit and having a camera on me. She’s a brave girl.
I really loved how Jennifer opened up about her past relationship. I feel like being with someone for several years and that person ultimately not being able to commit to you is something many of us can relate to. Then it started raining and it was such a romantic moment for the two of them. I almost wish they didn’t go inside and just kissed all night in the rain. Sigh. I love romance. 
However, I hate to say it but I feel like this was another one of those dates where he gave her a rose because it would have been really harsh to send someone home on a one-on-one date. It’s always a red flag to me when Ben (or any bachelor) says “I didn’t know if I was going to like you at first.” Why do I feel that way? Because 95 percent of the time you know within the first 10 minutes of meeting someone whether or not you would date them. Do you guys agree? Even though I love Jennifer, I’m not sure she’ll be around for much longer. I think they would be better as friends, but I wouldn’t mind at all if Ben proves me wrong!”
Read more from Ali at lhj.com….
From the Bachelor himself, Ben Flajnik: “One thing I was completely oblivious to was Courtney causing such a stir with the other women. I thought that she was just making the most of her moments with me.
It’s really hard to not let your mind get caught up in “Do I really know that this person is being sincere?” so I tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I tried not to go into this experience with the fear that I was getting played, but I will say that if I let myself go there, it’s a common fear in any relationship. Am I seeing the real side to this person?
I will say that I appreciated the women who took a risk to come out of their shell and spend more time with me on group dates and not sit back and let other women take charge. I felt like I furthered a number of relationships that day.”
Read more from Ben at People.com….
Bachelor Pad winner Michael Stagliano on episode 4: “SO much happened in such a short time it was hard to keep track.
Let’s reflect:
1. Emily spills the beans to an unfortunately confident Ben, who defends his lead horse unequivocally.
2. Emily goes in and tells the girls she did that. Oops.
3. Casey wastes no time, finds Courtney and tattle-tales.
4. Courtney produces some JAW dropping, self-unaware, GEMS of one-lines
a. Winning! (I’m sorry, if you said, or ever say the Charlie Sheen line “winning.” I’m seriously not joking, there is a 99% chance I won’t like you very much)
b. Is it not the DEFINITION of someone being unaware of themselves when they say: “I’m a nice person, don’t F*CK with me, I want to rip her head off and verbally assault her.” Do we remember that conversation starting with Courtney being SHOCKED that Emily would call her a “mean person?”
5. Courtney confronts Emily (kind of) and Emily lies right through her teeth and denies it all. We hear some ridiculous lines like:
a. You’re acting like a 10 year old. No you are. No you are.
b. You s**t in the hat (what does this mean?).
c. Now “you’re on the list.” (I know tons of “nice people” with lists in their pocket of people who wronged them.)”
Read more from Michael on Bachelor.TV….
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