Unlucky Juror #13... and tonight's back-stabbing Bachelors

Before starting with tonight's episode, I'll fill you in that jury duty thankfully turned out rather uneventful.

While the recording to see if jury duty was still on said to arrive at 8:00, the summons said 8:30. I realize that is to get everyone to show up on time. Around 8:35, the District Clerk collected the questionnaires, then left us standing around until around 10:00 when they finally brought some chairs for people to sit in. At 11:00, they started calling people to sit them for jury selection.

I was called as number 13. That's not good. As soon as I was able, I went up and asked to be excused since I have a flight out to Atlanta for a business trip on Friday.

The judge asked the lawyers if they thought they would be done by Friday. Two of three were convinced, without a doubt. I didn't need to be excused. The one attorney I go to church with (and was the prosecutor on the great potato chip trial) said he thought they would be, but he couldn't guarantee. After all, "stranger things had happened." The judge said she was not keeping me around if they weren't absolutely sure. Without the third one being sure, I was off, thank goodness.

Being #13, I dearly doubt I would have been dismissed during voir dire, and I'd have been stuck for the day. When mom left work around 5:00, they were still there picking a jury. I'd have been a mental case by then!



After a whole lot of nothing new -- except the boring rose ceremony showing the dumping of Tasos -- last week's The Bachelorette: The Journey so far was a bust last week. However, we're back on track tonight with a new episode.

Everyone heads off to Marseille because we know that everyone always falls in love in France, and this atmosphere makes true love blossom. That was sarcasm in case you didn't recognize it.

Andrew is excited that his journey abroad with Andi has begun. He, of course, has been to France before and this trip is all about him.

In French, J.J. reads the date card. He had been practicing French, but all of a sudden, he can't read French. I don't know what it said other than it was for Josh.

However, before the date can start, Chris Harrison has to sit down with Andi to ask her if she is falling in love. Her answer cannot be repeated for bleeps, but she does confess that there is more than one man.

There is something about Andrew that I just don't like. Oh, wait, it's his smirk. He was smirking when Andi arrived to pick up Josh for their date.

They of course start off by wandering around the streets and getting a sandwich. Then, they go off on a boat to view the harbor. While Andi has been looking forward to going out with Josh, but he is the stereotypical jock she is normally attracted to. Yep, he brags about how he could beat her in golf and tennis (even though he doesn't play) and talks about how he was the 48th pick in the Major League Baseball draft... A second round pick.

He says he would rather be doing something like this rather than playing because it's hard to have a family, settle down, and play. OK. I agree with it being hard to have that professional athlete's life and have a normal family. However, I have serious doubts about that being why he doesn't play.

We interrupt this date for another date card. Before it's read, we hear from Smirky Andrew about how important it is for him to get his time so she can get to know him better. Everyone thinks that Smirkmeister. Get over yourself.

Marcus, Dylan, Chris, Cody, JJ, Marquel, Nick, Patrick, Andrew... all it says is < 3 Andi.

Take that Sir Smirksalot!

Josh and Andi settle into a spot for a picnic on the rocks along the water. They talk about travel, but Josh didn't get to travel beyond podunk towns in his 5 years of playing ball. See! He just wasn't good enough!

To the camera, Andi brings up the original attraction to Juan Pablo (also a jock), but that there wasn't anything beyond that. She's trying to see if there is more to Josh, but isn't to swift about getting there.

Back at the luxury resort where the guys are bunked up, J.J. and Nick tell Marquel how Andrew commented at the first rose ceremony about Andi giving roses to "the two blackies." Guess it's time for the guys to start stirring things up to bring out the ugly personalities so that they can warn Andi about how volatile this guy and that guy are.

Back from commercial, Marquel is trying to decide when and if to confront Andrew. In talking to the camera, he gets emotional talking about hoping to be seen as something more than just the black guy. (I can relate to an extent as the fat girl.)

Back to Josh and Andi, they drive up to Palais Longchamp. They have dinner at a palace because that is just something everyone gets to do! Her main goal is to get into a deeper conversation with him. They start off talking about their nerves earlier in the day. Then they go into not judging guys by being an athlete and chalking up their jerkiness to being a jock.

I find it "interesting" that these guys "haven't dated" in years. Yeah... sure. He talks his way into his rose for the date. The date gets even better with a private concert, of course. Who is Ben Fields?

The time has arrived for the group date. However, Marquel has already decided to avoid Andrew.

Andi tells the guys that communication is very important... especially non-verbal communication. The reason why the date card was blank is that they are going to mime. All of the guys take part in miming lessons. The guys all admit it's harder than they would have expected. Andrew does have a funny line about the teacher correcting them when they do something wrong, but at least he doesn't yell.

The guys soon all are dressed in striped shirts, suspenders, hats, and white gloves in order to perform in front of a live audience. The crowd is terribly unimpressed. Marquel impresses Andi with a routine he does with a kid. J.J. tries to reenact their first date as old people. Each tries to get Andi's attention in one way or the other. However, she notices that Nick is sulking while the rest of the guys are at least trying to make the best of the situation. Andi doesn't think Nick is taking advantage of the moment, even if it is a date with a group of other guys.

Meanwhile back at the chalet of a hotel, Brian highly anticipates his one-on-one date card. "I've got the recipe for love."

After a day of miming, it's time to vie for alone time. J.J. grabs Andi to get his time in first. He takes her for a walk along the docks to go on the Ferris Wheel. What freaks me out about that Ferris Wheel is that you can turn the car like a tea cup ride or something. Ok, so not spin it quite like that, but still. That would make me sick and do me in.

The rest of the guys sit around talking. At first it was pretty low key until Cody calls Nick out for thinking that he has something more special than the rest of them. Patrick agrees with the observation about Nick's arrogance of being a front runner. Everything falls silent when Andi walks back in. With their day being about communication, Andi wants to know what's going on, even if it means getting in middle of the drama.

Andi takes farmer Chris off to get some information. He starts with going back to the night that Eric left and Nick went to go talk to Andi and get her back in a better mental place. Nick seemed to be a little cocky about being the one to smooth things over. Meanwhile, Cody and Nick are getting into it back in the circle of men. Back to Andi, she decides that if she is able to get this from Chris, the nicest guy, maybe she needs to open her eyes a bit more.

Next up with his time is Cody. He's just so happy and thankful to be here (even though he hasn't had a one-on-one date), but doesn't appreciate Nick making fun of his thankfulness. She's worried about a guy she really likes being offensive to others.

Nick is up next. Andi calls him out for being "salty" on group dates after he tries to tell her that he had fun (yeah, right). She tells him it is hard to watch him on group dates. For Andi, there is an emotional/mental connection with Nick, but she's concerned about what the other guys have said. Finally, she drags out of him that he was mocking Cody, but downplays it. She wonders if she is being manipulated. Nick says he is not the secret admirer, but does read her a poem of sorts. I'm not sure that she is impressed. Oh, maybe she is. Kissy kissy. Conflicted Andi.

Marquel has been holding it in, but finally can wait no longer to confront Andrew. Marquel tells Dylan what he's going to do first. Dylan pushes him to do it NOW.

Marcus gets his turn with Andi. I think I like him. Alas, he tells Andi that he is falling in love with her. He gets a better kiss than Nick.

In front of ALL of the other guys, Marquel calls out Andrew. He's smirking again. He has a smile on his face waiting for what Marquel is going to say. Of course, Andrew has never said anything like that in his entire life. I cannot take Andrew seriously. He says nothing, race, where you live, etc. does not matter to him. Andrew doesn't know why someone started this. Marquel leaves it at that, speaking his peace.

Andrew was caught off guard with the conflict. He tells Andi about Marquel's accusation, but doesn't want to go into it. He tells her all this might be affecting how he feels about this competition and how it may be getting in the way of forming a relationship.

Andi says it's hard with all the drama to hand out a rose, but she does give it to J.J. for making a group date feel like a date-date.

Nick starts pouting again. He thought they had taken another step, but he sees that it is another step with J.J.

Brian anticipates his date will be cooking, and he hates to cook. Cody is a little jealous as a foodie.

Andi thinks Brian is easy and fun, so is really looking forward to this date after all the drama of the night before. They start their date with a private movie screening of The Hundred Foot Journey in a mini theater which is about love and cooking. Andi encourages Brian to recreate part of the movie by going to the market, then back to her apartment to cook.

They try sea urchin which neither are into. They buy 10 pairs of frog legs. Eww. I don't think either one of them know what they are doing. He's so stand-off-ish in the kitchen, she starts to wonder if she said something wrong. Andi can't believe he's so timid all of a sudden. The cooking experience was not as romantic as it was in the movie. Will their dinner be?

The kitchen is heating up, but Brian isn't. At this rate, he will not get his rose. Their food has no flavor nor does their date. She wants to give him another chance. Once they find mutual ground on how bad their dinner is, they go out to a cafe and the atmosphere changes a little. He always have regrets on what he should have done. He tries to redeem the evening by talking about the best parts of their date. They reconnect before she does go ahead and give him the rose. They then go off into a kitchen to make out.

Andi has decided she wants to sit down with Chris Harrison to discuss what she wants to do tonight with the rose ceremony. Some guys feel the pressure and are chomping at the bit for some one-on-one time (Cody, Marquel, Andrew...). They probably won't get their chance because she doesn't want a cocktail party -- doesn't need one -- because she is ready to chop three guys.

The guys feel the pressure because Andi is nowhere to be seen and it is getting late.

With 11 left... Josh, J.J. and Brian have their roses. Only 5 more will get roses because three are headed home.

Cody believes he has lost his chance. Patrick's all like, "she's taking it seriously." Josh says, "there's nothing wrong with that!" Of course not, he has his rose.

Nick is kind of cocky while Marquel is defeated.

Andi addresses them saying she knows they were surprised, but she was big into trusting her instinct and cutting to the chase about where things stand.

  1. Marcus (cue smirking Andrew)
  2. Nick (insert ugly stare from Marquel and Andrew twitching)
  3. Chris (insert deep breaths from all the other guys)
  4. Dylan (Andrew is feeling it now)
  5. Cody (insert SHOCK on my face)
And we bid a fond adieu to Marquel, Patrick, and Andrew (thank goodness). 

Andrew leaves voicing his position as a martyr having been bullied. Patrick graciously makes his exit though in a bit of shock. Marquel is such a nice guy who doesn't feel like he's anything special. He tearfully leaves.

Next week, they head off to Venice! Cody will finally get his time. At some point there will be a lie detector test. What are the men hiding!?!?

Comments