{"id":783,"date":"2021-01-16T11:12:31","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T15:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/inmyhead.com\/wordpress\/?p=783"},"modified":"2021-01-16T19:24:23","modified_gmt":"2021-01-16T23:24:23","slug":"the-bachelor-week-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inmyhead.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2021\/01\/16\/the-bachelor-week-2\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Bachelor’ – Week 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I stopped watching The <\/em>Bachelor<\/i> a long time ago, but got drawn in again because of the first deaf contestant, Abigail Heringer. I wrote about the first episode<\/a> of Season 25 for HearingLikeMe.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as Abigail is on the show, I’ll blog about her here. Future posts will go up on Tuesdays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abigail doesn\u2019t get as much air time in week 2, but she stands out in her scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shout Out From Chris<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The second episode opens with Matt James\u2019 [running footsteps] and [tranquil music] as he gets some necessary exercise. After all, he has to keep his stamina up if he\u2019s dating multiple women. But first, he must indulge the viewers in a gratuitous (outdoor) shower scene. It\u2019s so natural that he even wraps a towel around his waist and goes back in the house without drying himself off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their house, which they jokingly refer to as the Matt-eau, the girls are all sitting around when host Chris Harrison walks in. \u201cWhere\u2019s my girl Abigail?\u201d he asks. \u201cI\u2019m over here!\u201d she says. \u201cOh, you\u2019re tucked in the corner,\u201d Chris says. \u201cYou got the First Impression Rose! Congrats!\u201d One of the women adds, \u201cAnd she got the first kiss!\u201d \u201cCongrats on both of them!\u201d says Chris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hmm. And here I thought Chris was looking for Abigail to make sure she\u2019d be able to lipread him. But no, he\u2019s here to announce that there will be three dates this week: one group date, and two one-on-one dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Group Date<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Bri is on the first 1:1 date, there\u2019s a knock at the door back at the Matt-eau (yes, it\u2019s as painful to write as it is to say). This is always a signal for the next date card. I, of course, wondered how Abigail was clued in. Ileana reads off the names of the girls going on the group date. And the names keep coming. There\u2019s a total of 18 women going on this date, the largest group date in Bachelor history. <sarcasm> Naturally, Abigail is one of them, because it\u2019s an ideal environment for a deaf person. <\/sarcasm><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s that sound? Fireworks popping outside. Again, who tells Abigail (or can she figure it out for herself?)? The women go outside to watch and muse that Bri and Matt are probably making out. How\u2019d they guess?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One women thinks the group date will be a s%*t show. She\u2019s right. Because all the dates have to be outside for some reason, they carry umbrellas as it\u2019s raining. Good thing the show has enough, because cochlear implants shouldn\u2019t get wet. Some are water resistant, but I don\u2019t know what brand Abigail has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt tells them that he\u2019s confident he sees his potential wife in the group. Since he\u2019s a visual person, he thought it would be fun to have a little photo shoot and visualize what that special day might look like with one of them. Right. He thought this, not the producers. Anyway, the women have 10 minutes to put on one of the wedding dresses and accessories inside. Maybe half of the group gets a photo taken with the groom, and some even get kisses in while the others watch. The whole thing is every bit as cringe-worthy as you can imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Capture the Heart<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Then Chris shows up. This always means a twist. He says to stay happily married takes a lot of hard work. Matt is looking for a woman who will truly fight for him. So even though half of the girls didn\u2019t get a photo shoot, they all have to walk through a forest to meet up with Matt again. Is Abigail able to follow when Chris explains the game was Capture the Heart?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women are split into two teams. There\u2019s paint and other \u201cweapons\u201d like purses, and no rules. As the women discuss strategy, I wonder if Abigail is keeping up. How does she feel during the competition? She probably can\u2019t tell as well as the others if someone is approaching. Is she worried about her CI coming off? When water is sprayed, what does she do? When the camera pans to her in a group shot, she isn\u2019t looking at the person speaking. Was she relying on her hearing, or did she figure it doesn\u2019t matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alas, Abigail\u2019s on the losing team. The wedding dresses get trashed. The winning team spends a \u201cromantic, incredible night\u201d with Matt, while the losers go home and \u201cwonder who\u2019s making out with Matt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back at the house, the losing team tells the women there what happened. Abigail and her paint-splattered face starts it off, \u201cWell, the red team won\u2026\u201d Later on in the conversation, as one person is talking, the camera pans to Abigail, who\u2019s looking down. Is she following the conversation? Does she care?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rose Ceremony<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Abigail tells the camera that going into the rose ceremony, she\u2019s really really nervous. She\u2019s excited to see Matt because she didn\u2019t get to talk to him much this week after getting the First Impression Rose. \u201cThat\u2019s why I just really want to talk to him and just kind of let him know that I\u2019m here and hopefully keep that connection going,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She gets the first conversation with Matt (at least, that\u2019s how the editing portrays it). They tell each other they\u2019ve missed each other and how it feels like they haven\u2019t seen each other in forever. She says they had such a good first night and then there was the group date, which is hard when you\u2019re trying to date the same guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Abigail does something clever. She tells Matt she should give him a little signal \u2013 like she can fix her earring or pull her ear, and it\u2019ll be like her blowing him a kiss or something. He can do it right back, she says. \u201cOr I\u2019ll stare at you the whole night and wait for you to catch my eye,\u201d she adds. They work out their signal and it\u2019s very cute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/marishakishviIi\/status\/1348820121150771202\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Matt tells the camera that Abigail is one of the sweetest people he\u2019s ever met. He doesn\u2019t have to try hard to have a good time. The conversation flows and she makes him laugh. He helps her off the couch when their conversation is done. \u201cYou saw me struggling?\u201d she laughs. No kiss \u2013 at least not one that\u2019s shown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drama<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marylynn \u2013 a contestant involved in drama with the season\u2019s villain, \u201cQueen Victoria,\u201d — tells Abigail that she can\u2019t do this anymore. Abigail asks, \u201cYou want a hug? Come here,\u201d and hugs her. Aw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Matt calls Abigail\u2019s name in the rose ceremony, she pulls on her ear as she steps down. She used their secret signal! Alas, the camera doesn\u2019t show us his reaction. Did he notice? Did he respond in kind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Me aggressively watching Matt and Abigail for any secret gestures for the rest of the season like #TheBachelor<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/VieVKdxWiL<\/a><\/p>— Jordan (@nelsonmandontya) January 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>