...or is this just Fantasy (football)?

Happy week 1 of fantasy football everybody. It's a joyous time of the year where we get to sit around, watch football, then brag about how our team crushed everyone...or make excuses for why this week went so poorly and we'll turn it around soon.

But it's not all fun and games, and one of the things that sucks most about fantasy is also one of the worst parts about the real NFL: injuries.

Sure, sure, in real life it's about a man's health and livelihood, but in the realm of fantasy, owners are plagued by who to start, not knowing who's going to play or how much someone's going to play even if they get on the field.

I have the great fortune to be in this quandary already at the beginning of the season, not knowing whether to go with players who will play but may be limited (Trent Richardson, Jamaal Charles) or capable backups who could get the lion's share of playing time today or just as easily take a backseat (Toby Gerhart, Rashad Jennings).

I could tweak lineups forever, but whenever I start feeling a little stressed, I think about my two favorite fantasy anecdotes. (Here and here)

The first is a story about Matt Hasselbeck from a few years ago when he was still with the Seahawks. I'll let Matthew Berry take it away.

It should shock no one that Matt went QB-heavy with his team, drafting not only himself but also his former real-life Packers teammate, Brett Favre. 

Like many people I meet, it's Matt's first-year playing fantasy. But he showed the objectivity of a wily veteran when, in Week 5, he decided to bench himself for the ol' gunslinger. It made sense. Favre was coming off a red-hot dismantling of Green Bay on "Monday Night Football," had seven scores in his past three games and was facing the Rams, among the worst pass defenses in the league. 

I'll save you the trouble of looking it up. Brett threw for 232 yards, only one score (plus a pick) and finished with 11 fantasy points in ESPN standard scoring. Sixteen different quarterbacks finished with more points than Brett that week, including such names as Josh Johnson, Chad Henne and Daunte Culpepper (against the Steelers!).

And sitting on Matt Hasselbeck's bench was, well, Matt Hasselbeck, who threw for four scores against the Jaguars and finished with 27 fantasy points. More than Tom Brady,Peyton Manning or any other quarterback that week. 

Think about that. He knew the game plan, he had as much control over an NFL game as any fantasy player could ever have, he wound up as the highest-scoring player at his position in the league … 

… AND HE WAS SITTING ON HIS OWN BENCH

The second story is somewhat similar, coming from Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley.

“The game [Roy] Helu started, San Francisco, I walked up to [Ryan] Torain in the locker room and said Dude you’re starting on my fantasy team this week and I’m hoping for a big week, I’m playing my wife,”Cooley said on the Junkies Friday morning. 

“And he’s like,Oh, cool man, yeah, I’ll see what I can do,” Cooley continued. “I went out to the field, and Helu starts. I’m in the LOCKER ROOM and I don’t know who’s starting. So it’s kind of a mix-up, and I’m not exactly sure what we’re doing or who’s going in.” 

Moral of the story? Don't worry so much about it because EVEN THE PLAYERS don't always know what's going on. All we can do is do our best and hope the Shivas of fantasy football look upon us favorably.  Hopefully I can actually take my own advice.

Old Habits Die Hard

With one more (at least I think only one) fantasy football draft to go, I was thinking about players one last time, and when I was looking at how I rated/tiered players, I realize that even though it's a different year, I fall into the same habits.

Do I have a good reason for this? No, not at all. I've pretty rarely been successful at fantasy football so it's not like I trust in my instincts to help me win since it hasn't worked out that way before. Am I even doing this on purpose? Not really, although I think my laziness has something to do with it.

But somehow I inevitably start thinking of players in the same way year after year, always getting sucked into the same traps. Let me show you what I mean.

The Jacoby Jones

I first started playing fantasy football a few years ago, and of course, I wanted to prepare myself by looking up all the best sleepers that no one else would know (this before I realized everyone reads similar stuff and therefore like similar players). I read about this guy, Jacoby Jones, WR Houston Texans. What could go wrong? He was a burner playing across Andre Johnson (actually that was Kevin Walter, but I KNEW Jones would take over) in a high powered offense and ready for a breakout (it was his 3rd year in the league). I thought he had the talent and the opportunity.

Flash forward to 2012 and Jones has just about over 100 receptions...for his career. Safe to say that didn't pan out, and it's been the running game that's taken over the show in Houston.

What did I learn here? Just because someone is fast and black and playing with a competent quarterback doesn't spell fantasy success. Does this stop me from picking up these WR hoping they'll break a 70 yard TD every game? Not at all. I'm the Al Davis of fantasy.

My 2012 Jacoby Jones: Alshon Jeffery (I actually still really like this guy. He's apparently big and got great hands, which could easily lead the Bears to feature him in red zone situations. Still, playing opposite Brandon Marshall and with a big armed QB may not matter if Matt Forte runs everything in.)

On the other hand...

The Denarius Moore

Last year I played in like a 20 something team NFL.com league. It was DEEP. And therefore I had to read up on much deeper sleepers than usual (at the end of the year I had guys like Jackie Battle, Preston Parker, and Dezmon Briscoe on my team. 10 points if you can name where they play this year...or last year).

I heard about this Denarius Moore kid in training camp and was immediately skeptical. He was playing for the Raiders, a team known for young players who flameout and Darius Heyward-Bey's name wasn't far from anyone thinking of picking a Raiders' WR. It was pretty clear that Darren McFadden would be the focal point, and even though Moore was looking good in camp, he still had to contend with incumbents Heyward-Bey, Chaz Schilens, and Jacoby Ford.

Then the season started, the guys in front of him got hurt, Moore got on the field and started doing things like this. Turns out he wasn't the usual Al Davis type who just flies down the field. Moore's big and has great hands as well, and injuries opened up opportunity for him.

It's easy to write off under the radar rookie WR as most of them don't do so well in the NFL. But as late round picks they can have really good value, especially ones who go late in the real NFL draft or even sign as undrafted free agents. Although it's a high profile position, WR is a relatively easy position to fill cheaply in the league, which can lead to people emerging out of nowhere after a fortuitous camp invite (see: Victor Cruz).

My 2012 Denarius Moore: Rod Streater (It's too obvious. He's the rookie WR in Oakland who's going to get playing time with Moore and Ford hurt. He's versatile and catches everything.)

The Cam Newton

Rookie quarterbacks never do anything right? They have to adjust to the speed of the game, the complexity of NFL defenses, and learning how to take command of an NFL huddle.

Cam threw all that out the window and had a monster fantasy year last season. Turns out the tools he used in college translated just fine to the big leagues. His huge frame and tremendous speed which blew college defenders away still got the job done in the pros. He added a disciplined regimen to learn the offense and surpassed most people's expectations as a passer, reviving Steve Smith's career in the process.

I still generally try to avoid rookies, but man, after a year like that, you have to consider the possibility that someone can repeat that.

My 2012 Cam Newton: Andrew Luck (RGIII is the easiest comparison, but I think he might be getting a little overdrafted. Luck is often available late, and since the Colts will probably be pretty bad again, he's going to get to throw a lot. He's smart and an excellent passer already. These qualities translate to the next level, it's just a matter of getting that game experience and feel for how defenses will play him. Who knows, maybe he can resurrect Reggie Wayne's career after a down season.)

One more, and it will be...

The Shonn Greene

Shonn Greene has the dubious distinction of fooling me several years in a row. One of the reasons RBs are so highly valued in fantasy football is consistency. Back in the day when teams had a featured back, you could count on even lower tiered backs for a solid 8-15 points a game just based on sheer volume. If you were getting 20 carries and resembled an NFL starter, you could probably manage 60-70 yards on the ground and maybe another 10 in the air at minimum. And if you could fall into the end zone once or twice, that's a bonus.

Greene was going to be the ultimate volume back. Sure he didn't look like he was going to be a worldbeater, but what were the Jets going to do? Throw it?

Greene's backups over the past couple years have been guys like Joe McKnight and an older Thomas Jones. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that he could take over the lead back role and flourish as an RB1 option. Unfortunately, he fell into that 8-15 point scorer category. Not catastrophic, but when your team wants to play smash mouth and your QB is Mark Sanchez, you'd think you'd have enough opportunity to break 100 yards more than 3 times in 2 years.

Still, what made Greene attractive basically applies today. He's got the job (Bilal Powell is his backup and likely 3rd down back) and will get carries. Just don't do anything cute and draft him for more than what he is: a low RB2/flex player.

My 2012 Shonn Greene: Doug Martin (There are certainly differences. Martin is much more of a playmaker than Greene and can actually play on 3rd downs. But like Greene, it's kind of assumed that he'll get 20+ carries a game even with the presence of LeGarrette Blount, who was a starting caliber RB last year. Not saying he won't, but even with Blount fading fast in the past few weeks, the fact that he's been in the league and done work before gives me pause before I take Martin as a clear RB1).


As always, the lesson is: never listen to me when I'm talking about fantasy sports. I'll probably just end up giving you bad advice.

McKayla Maroney's other talent

With the 2012 summer games winding down I thought it would be a good time to talk about one of my Olympic crushes (checks age...) one of America's sweethearts McKayla Maroney, one of the Fab Five gymnastics team. She's known for being a vault specialist (despite finishing second in the vault finals, leading to one of the greatest pictures/reactions of the Games), but there's one other thing she's better than her other, more hyped teammates: doing the Dougie.

She's definitely better than Gabby Douglas which is surprising

since her last name is Douglas. What, you thought I was going to say because she's black? ...well, that too.

k thx bai

It's completely surreal to me that I'm leaving for Connecticut tomorrow morning just a few hours from now. It feels pretty much just like any other night right now even though I know it's not. I left home from college and spent a couple summers interning in various places, but this feels different, more permanent.

When people have been asking me how I feel about leaving or living on the east coast, I've always answered with some form or combination of excited or nervous. Excited because this is the first time I'm really, really on my own. I get to truly be my own person far away from my home and basically everyone I know. I get to have a real job and make many more of my own decisions. Nervous because...well, the same reasons.

I think ultimately both emotions stem from my feelings about identity. In a completely new place, I get sort of a fresh start, a new chance to create and/or flesh out who I am. At the same time, in a lot of ways by moving so far away, I'm losing parts of myself too. It's weird to think about because do I really become a different person just by leaving one environment and going to another one? A lot of the time I (and I'd guess most, if not all of, us) find it easy to identify myself by factors that are easily picked out. What I look like, where I live, who I hang out with, etc. But, as I am learning extremely rapidly, these types of things can change so quickly and so drastically.

Leaving everything and everyone behind is teaching me that the only thing I can cling on to, and thus the only thing I can truly identify with, is my relationship with my God. It's not always perfect and often I falter, but I know that God is there to pick me up no matter how much I stumble. My relationship with Him and my belief that he is a good, loving, eternal God who has saved me and all mankind from a destiny of eternal damnation should be the basis of who I am and I want to work towards that each day. People and surroundings may change, but He does not, and as I'm getting ready for a huge move, I'm glad that I can hold on to that.


On a different note, we (my parents and I) will be spending the next few days driving across the country to my new home in Connecticut. This will be by far the longest road trip I've ever done, and I'm looking forward to a lot of boring roads and long naps while my dad is at the wheel. As disorganized and lazy and stupid as I can be, I will always be thankful to my parents for helping me out in this and I feel really lucky to have them in my life for this and many other reasons.

We'll pretty much just be straight driving and I don't even know if the places we're staying along the way will have wi-fi, but I'm going to try to tweet as much as I can, if only to keep myself from being too bored. But anyway, it's been a fun 22 years of my life on the west coast. I hope to make it back someday (someday soon, please), but I trust and leave everything in the hands of God because I believe His plans are better than my plans. Please do hit me up if you're ever on the east coast. See you on the other side.

Why I want the Miami Heat to win

I should say first of all that I'm not a bandwagon Heat fan. I'm not any Heat fan, and I am not exactly rooting for them in the most typical sense. But as someone who likes the NBA, I would like to see them win this championship.

Ultimately, my reasoning is pretty simple. I believe that Lebron James is easily and by far the best player in the NBA today. And so it frustrates me that this is buried beneath the constant stream of criticism (valid or otherwise). I guess it's not surprising that in our culture, which is largely selfish, greedy and critical, we focus on Lebron's faults and what he doesn't have/can't do. He chokes in the clutch. He doesn't have a ring. He's a selfish player. He has no post game.

I know this because I used to be one of those people. It was absurd to me that people thought Lebron was better than Kobe Bryant (although a few years ago it was much closer). Lebron hadn't won anything. He hadn't repeatedly carried his team through the playoffs as Kobe had done in the Smush Parker/Chris Mihm days. For a guy his size, he looked clueless and helpless with the ball down low. He shot too much and too poorly from midrange and beyond.

But over the past couple years, now that I've actually watched him play...it's so obvious that he is the best player in the league. Obviously anything can happen in the next 1-3 games, but I find it hard to believe that people can honestly think that Kevin Durant is a better player than Lebron.

I love KD. In my brief basketball fandom, he's one of the best scorers I've ever seen simply because he can score from anywhere on the court and with his athleticism and freakish length, there's often not much you can do to stop him other than hope that he misses. Still, I think that the suggestion that he is superior to Lebron is outright laughable.

The fact that this has even been brought up is proof enough for me that the massive microscope of criticism we've turned towards Lebron has blinded us from appreciating the entirety of his game. I mean over the first four games of the finals he's averaging a 29.3/10/6 line and making it look routine. In the regular season he led his teams in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

But his dominance should be clear even without looking at the numbers. His rebounding, court vision, and passing are much better than most people his size or at his position and he can assert himself on both ends. On the offensive side of the court he's a strange combination of size and speed, which generally allows him to shoot where and when he pleases either by beating his man to his spot or bullying him off of it. His shooting has greatly improved since he was a rookie and, despite what haters might say, his post game has as well. On defense, his size and speed again give him an advantage as it allows him to guard every position effectively. While there are several players who could likely get the better of him over the course of a full game, I truly think he could be fine defending anyone (without fouling) in the NBA for at least a handful of possessions.

Meanwhile Kevin Durant just played the biggest game of his life and the 6'9" (who many claim is closer to 6'11") forward grabbed two rebounds in 46 minutes of play (exactly the same amount as Miami's backup point guard Norris Cole had in eight minutes) and got outleaped on a crucial jump ball by Shane Battier, a 33 year old veteran with creaky legs. Durant's also had so many problems defending without fouling over the past few games that he was on point guards Mario Chalmers and Cole for long stretches of time.

This is not to hate on KD. He is a phenomenal player (and a good rebounder most of the time), but I don't know how else to illustrate what I perceive as a large, noticeable gap in between the two players. I don't know if any of this was actually necessary. I'd like to think not. I'd like to think that this was all very obvious, both because it would be nice if my views were validated and because again, I think it should be apparent to anyone who has watched basketball.

With all of this said, if the Miami Heat lose, especially now with a 3-1 lead, Lebron James's overwhelming talent will be even more obscured (granted, if they do lose three games in a row it's highly probable that harsh criticism of his game will be warranted). As fans, I feel like this hatred is preventing many of us from actually appreciating his game and realizing that we are, and have been, witnessing some of the finest displays of athletic ability on a basketball court. I get the backlash over The Decision. It was incredibly idiotic and out of touch. But are we really going to let a misguided 30 minute television special color our views so much that we miss out on just watching and letting ourselves be amazed at what Lebron does on the court on a nightly basis? I got over it and, if the Miami Heat close this out, it's about time everyone else did too.

Back in the game

I really enjoy Twitter. I understand the people who think that it's stupid or pointless and that the 140 character messages are a waste of internet space, but I've found it to be a fun way to engage with other users, whether it's actually having a conversation with them or just hearing what they have to say. It's interesting. You never really know what's going to happen when you send out a tweet (or retweet).

For example I recently started following the Twitter account of the Asian American Journalists' Association J Camp program. I was fortunate enough to participate in the program back in 2007 with 40ish other high school students, and I had a great time meeting new people and learning from professional journalists from all over. Over the past couple days they had tweeted at me and other alums asking what some of our favorite J Camp memories were as well as tweeting at incoming J Campers. It was fun tweeting back and forth with old friends, sharing memories as well as to the students about to go to J Camp (perhaps the one time I can tweet at high school girls without feeling creepy) welcoming them to the family. Thinking back on that week brought back a lot of memories. There were a lot of pretty impressive people, from our leaders, advisors, and guest speakers who all had successful careers at various establishments (CNN, ABC, Washington Post) as well as the other students. I haven't kept in touch that much, but I remember a good number of them being pretty smart and driven, and a quick perusal of Facebook (yay stalking) revealed that some of them are indeed in some pretty sweet positions in their journalism career.

Ironically enough, J Camp actually ended up pointing me away from journalism. A lot of the professionals I met mentioned that it wasn't that important to study it in school but that the main focus was just gaining writing experience. That was kind of the first step, but ultimately I think not going down that path was a good decision. I don't think that I have that passion or drive that the best journalists need as they pursue a scoop or tenaciously edit down a piece minutes before deadline.

But back then, I really loved to write. I wasn't (and still am not) the best verbal communicator and putting words on a page gave me an alternative way to communicate my thoughts and opinions. But somewhere along the line, it kind of just fell off. Maybe I got too self-conscious about what I was writing and scared that people would disagree or just flat out not like it. Maybe I got caught up in perfection. A lot of the times when I talk or write I am still thinking of what I want to say as I am saying it. It's actually pretty frustrating and leads to some pretty stupid, confusing things sometimes and maybe I was too afraid that things wouldn't come out just how I wanted to.

As I thought about J Camp, I remembered what made me want to go in the first place. The opportunity to get to know someone through an interview -- and then sharing that with everyone else. The thrill of filling an empty page with informative, entertaining, or just plan fun words. The feeling of accomplishment when you've taken an article that was too long and editing it until it says exactly what you want it to say and no more.

Looking at the tweets of the upcoming J Campers, I can tell they feel the same way. The ALL CAPS and exclamation points make it pretty evident (although maybe they're just excited to meet guest speaker Hoda Kotb? I would be).

So I decided, screw it. I'm just going to write whatever I want when I want to. I'm not going to worry about getting it perfectly right or who might think I'm stupid or wrong (no one reads this anyway...). As I'm preparing to move and essentially start a new life, it makes sense (to me at least) to also re-kickstart this blog. And you know what, it's been a great long while since my last "I haven't written in a while but I'm committing to writing lots more" post, and I'll give myself about a week or two before the posts stop coming again. So here come the posts. Whether it ends up actually being just a week or two or a long term thing, who knows. But it's going to be random and it's going to be awkward and basically, it's going to be me.

For the lols

I was looking through some old documents and I found the graduation speech I submitted four years ago for the speechwriting contest at high school. To be honest, once you get past the obvious pandering to school spirit and the whole high school student trying to sound sophisticated thing, I feel like the overall theme is not half bad.

On a random tangent, I remember I wanted to print the speeches that made the final round of the competition in our special, end of the year edition of our paper. Since it was basically a collection of thoughts and quotes from our senior class (for our senior class), it felt like it would be appropriate. It got shot down. Apparently the committee that was choosing the winner didn't want to whichever speech they picked to get overshadowed or something like that. Don't mind that I suspect very few people actually read our paper or that I would have noted and given special placement to the speech that won, or the fact that ultimately only one speech would have been presented. I'm still a little disappointed that they didn't let me go ahead with that, especially since, as editor in chief at the time, I felt like I should have been the one to make that call. It wasn't like my speech made it to the final round so it's not like I was trying to do any self-promoting or anything. Anyway, whatever. Here's what I rambled about 4 years ago:

When I was a kid, my life was pretty much set for me. I was going to breeze through high school and head off to my dream college. First it was Stanford, and then when I found out how hard it is to get in to, I set my sights a little lower and aimed for Columbia. I came to Woodbridge as a freshman with this plan, but these last four years have been nothing like the quick stop I thought they would be. On a day like today, a proud day for me and every graduating Warrior, it would be easy just to revel in the moment and forget about the future.  But instead of a celebration of the present, this day should be a celebration of things to come and a springboard from which we will set out to achieve these things.

            Of course though we’re leaping off this springboard, that doesn’t mean we know where it’s going to take us. You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men, so why am I even bothering to talk about what’s going to happen in the future? Certainly my naïve, idealistic plan didn’t pan out as my 8^th grade self would have expected, as I’m not going to Columbia or Stanford or any other top ranked private university for that matter. But just because we don’t know what’s coming doesn’t mean we shouldn’t reach for our goals, because in doing so, who knows what things we may grab hold of instead.

            Maybe it sounds stupid or cliché, but when we aim high, though we might not always get what we expect, there’s no doubt that our efforts will be rewarded. Coming out of middle school I was a budding volleyball player with an ambition in talk radio who enjoyed some writing on the side. The talk radio thing sputtered as I gave up even listening to it in favor of pretty much anything else. My volleyball “career” (if you could call it that) was stunted in short order. Instead I played 4 years of high school tennis, 3 of which were on the varsity level. But I did get to write for the school paper and even reached an editor position in my senior year. I guess one out of three ain’t bad.

            In these past four years I’ve had experiences that, looking back, I can’t imagine missing out on, yet these are also things I wouldn’t have expected either. Much of what I accomplished in high school wasn’t the result of some great scheme and meticulous planning, but rather hard work and a little luck. If nothing else, I’ve learned that good things happen to people who work at it because you never know who might be watching you, prepared to commend and reward your effort.

            As we, the class of 2008, head off to college, work, the military, or any other endeavor, I encourage every person here to strive after your goals, but also prepare to deal with change. If all of us gave up simply because our initial plan didn’t work, many of us would simply be bums, living off the generosity of others. How many successful businessmen and women are here today? And how many of you wanted to be a veterinarian or an astronaut or a famous singer or rock star when you were young? No matter how lofty our goals are, we can never give up on ourselves simply because things don’t go our way. I realized there was no way I was getting into Stanford, yet here I stand before all of you today, headed to a college where I feel I can thrive. Did I quit because I couldn’t go to a school I once thought was a perfect fit for me? No, and if you believe in fate, maybe, just maybe things worked out so that I would be up here sending you this message today. And if you’re the kind of person who’s more about creating your own luck, here I am, not really anything special, but giving the graduation speech for my high school. Who would have thought?

Happy Easter!

I wish I could do a better job of daily remembering the sacrifice that Christ has made for me by dying on the cross for my sins and the miracle of his resurrection, defeating death and sin for good. For something that has such a large and powerful impact on my life, I sure don't live, act, or think like that's the case a lot of the time. May it be something we can all truly remember, especially today.

The Resurrection

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Hip-Pop?

I really enjoyed this blog post by DJ Louie XIV at the Huffington Post yesterday. He basically expresses his disappointment at the lack of popular female rappers these days using Nicki Minaj as an example saying that she seems content with releasing more pop-style music (he refers to it as "yet another shaded rendition of 'California Tik Tok on Last Friday Night's Domino') instead of hip-hop.

It's funny because I was listening to Young Money the other day and thinking the same thing. The first time I heard Nicki Minaj was on "Bedrock" and I remember thinking that she more than held on her own that track with guys like Lil Wayne and Drake and wanting to find out who she was. Now that she's seemingly crossed over to the pop side (it seems pretty clear that at this point she has more in common with Katy Perry than Eve), I sometimes forget that she was even on that song.

It's definitely not because a lack of talent. She's exceptional with her rhymes and flows and she's proved it time and time again. DJ Louie mentions "Did It On 'Em" as an example, and I think that's still my favorite Nicki song (actually hearing it for the first time on the radio was the reason I went and got her album).

As much as I hate to do it...I think I'd have to blame Taylor Swift for this. In my mind, "Superbass" was the breaking point where Nicki really started to turn pop, and of course it was Taylor who Nicki credits for introducing that song to a larger audience (of mostly adolescent white girls). Since then, it's been lighthearted stuff like "Starships" and little girls singing her songs on Ellen.

As a sidenote, can you imagine Sophie Grace doing...just about any other Nicki Minaj song? It would go from cutely innocent to wildly inappropriate pretty quickly.

Granted, I have no idea what Nicki's new album is going to sound like. Who knows, maybe "Starships" is as pop as it gets and the rest of the tracks are pure hip-hop. But I doubt it. I think Nicki's smart enough to know she's found a niche where she can be pretty successful. And I'm not saying her songs aren't good, just different. Good for her, but if she continues going in this direction I think it's a pretty significant loss for the hip hop community.

After the Final Rose

I've made it no secret that Courtney was my favorite reality tv character on this season of the Bachelor, and of course, she won the show. And of course, she's been taking a beating from all sides since then.

To be honest, I felt it was unfair that Ben has been acting all shocked and indignant after the show finished. I mean, even if he didn't know the specifics of what she did or said to the other ladies, he had fair warning. Hearing all those things from the other girls SHOULD have been an enormous red flag already. It's weird that he waits until after everything's done to react to that. Something about the timing feels really disingenuous (did I use that right?) to me.

I honestly don't know how much of Courtney is acting or genuine (although I found it really amusing last week when she said, "I'm feeling real emotions right now" or something like that), but really I think most of the criticism is unfair. At this point she really can't apologize any more (and if it's not real now it probably won't be later anyway) and I don't know what her haters want. Ultimately it was Ben's decision, and for some reason people don't seem to be mad at him at all.

For what it's worth, I think she has feelings for Ben and this point and really does have trust issues with guys. And of course, Ben abandoning her did not help matters. It's hard for me to respect someone who does that and then goes on tv and acts like everything's cool. Everything he says just seems so fake and unspecific and, as a college student, I definitely know BS when I see/hear it.

It's been an interesting season overall. I don't have a lot of respect for Ben or most of the other contestants on the show, who find it totally cool to talk crap on each other and Shawntel but act so wronged when Courtney does it. But hey, that's what the Bachelor Pad is for.

The Bachelor Final Power Rankings

Well, this is going to be a short one since there are only two girls left, but I've got to keep posting on here for a class anyway, so might as well.

A Word on the Departed

Kacie's back! And then gone. But not before she asked for some answers then laid down in the middle of the hotel. To be honest, I was kind of worried she was going to go in and beg Ben to take her back and give her another chance, so I was actually kind of glad that all she wanted was some closure. It was still sad, but I guess preferable to the "What the F Happened" outburst from last week. But man, Courtney must have really done something bad to these girls in the house that we didn't see given that even Kacie still felt the need to say something to Ben about it even at this stage in this situation. Meh, we'll see what happens at WTA I guess.

And Nicki, bless her heart, she somehow talked herself into thinking Ben was going to propose to her. I don't know, I've got to think that these girls who have been sent home and are watching the Bachelor now feel lucky that they've dodged a bullet with Ben after seeing how he's been on this season. It doesn't seem like there's any logic to his actions and it seems pretty clear that he's only into these women on a very superficial level. Which is fine I guess and honestly that's sort of what I assume about a lot of people who go on this show, but man, I get really annoyed when he throws around his BS. Like how he got rid of girls like Jennifer and Kacie B, who he clearly displayed some chemistry with, and claimed it was only "to protect them." Or my very favorite, how when Nicki accepted his invitation to the fantasy suite tonight he said, "These moments are really important. You get to know a lot about the person." Like really, THAT'S what you're doing on your overnight date. Talking about all the things you didn't get to while you were dating 20 other women over the past eight weeks. Give me a break. Of all the things I hate about the show, it's the fact that the people on this show think we're that dumb and naive that drives me the most crazy.

Final Power Rankings

1. Courtney
Ben's pretty noticably different with her in my opinion, and I think that says a lot about what he's thinking. And really, now that so many women (who he supposedly trusts and respects) have said things about her and he's still keeping her around says it all. I have no idea if her apologies are real or just part of her masterful manipulation (I guess they're not mutually exclusive) doesn't make a huge difference since Ben just eats up everything she says. It's crazy. I give them 6 months until they call of their engagement.

2. Lindzi
It would be interesting to me if she was chosen to be the next Bachelorette after Emily since her parents mentioned she hasn't had a lot of dating experience. And what better way to fix that than by setting her up with 30 guys at the same time?

The Bachelor Week 8 Power Rankings (aka Eff You Ben F)

A Word on the Departed

Sigh. I can't. It's too depressing.


(h/t faces of rejected bachelorettes)

Week 8 Power Rankings

1. Courtney (up 2 spots)
Ok. So she's been mean to the girls on the show. She's pretty obviously manipulating Ben (whether she has real feelings for him or not). And yet...she does have a connection with Ben and it's so clear, despite the fact that all of the girls hate her and apparently a bunch of unnamed sources from her real life do as well (though it might not all be true). Honestly I liked her date a lot better than the rest of the hometowns, and even with that silly exercise of the fake wedding, it does look like Ben's taking their relationship very seriously. I'm not quite sure how, given the fact that none of the girls like her (which would be a huge red flag to me, just saying) and how she keeps playing the "I'm not sure you're into me" game when the rest of the girls are basically throwing themselves at him, but yeah, he really treats her unlike any of the other girls. I don't know, I really would rather there not be the whole farce of looking for true love when it's pretty obvious that that's not what Ben is looking for at all. Whatever. They deserve each other. I'm sure they'll be a hit at Bachelor reunions.

2. Lindzi (no change)
I'll be honest, she's kind of boring to me. She wears a lot of makeup, and, as I said last week, she seems pretty normal. But she kind of seems like the girl Ben would just be friends with at this point. Although her family must be loaded. Who races horse-drawn carriages as a hobby?

3. Nicki (up 1 spot)
Personally, having been divorced at 26 (or however old she is) would still have been a huge red flag to me. I don't really know why Ben's keeping her around, I guess just by default? She seems bright and bubbly and totally oblivious to the fact that Ben's way more into the other girls.





For real though. WTF was Ben thinking tonight? Kacie was the sweetest, cutest girl there and he just dumps her like that? All that anger and sadness she showed in her exit limo was totally justified in my opinion. They seemed really cute together and honestly there really didn't seem to be much wrong with her (you know, relatively speaking) other than her slight psycho tendencies. It looked like Ben sent her home because of her parents, because somehow it's just so odd that her mom didn't want them living together before they got married and her dad wasn't ready to give his daughter away to someone she'd known for 8 weeks (the nerve!). On Ashley's season of the Bachelorette, I liked Ben a lot. He was pretty chill and always easygoing and fun. But I gotta say, I really lost respect for him this season, and I really can't wait to see what goes down on the Women Tell All and After the Final Rose eps. Don't be sad Kacie, you can do better. Unless you become the next Bachelorette, in which case you deserve what you get.

The (barely) VaLintine's Day Linsanity Post

The Jeremy Lin experience looks like it's not going to be ending any time soon. There's nothing I can write that hasn't already been written by someone a lot smarter and better than writing for me. I think it's sort of fitting that I'm writing this so late given that I was also late on him in fantasy basketball as well as believing that he can be a viable NBA starter.

And I'm not going to lie, this upsets me a little since I've thought that Lin would be able to play in the NBA since his 30 point explosion against UConn when he was at Harvard. I'll admit, I am a little bit of an NBA hipster.

Still, it seems like there are a lot of people coming out of the woodwork (Asian people, talking to you) who have all of a sudden become NBA/Knick fans and big believers in Lin as the next New York superstar. And I mean that's cool, obviously it's nice to have new fans. But whether new or old, Asian or...not Asian, it sort of seems like there are a lot of ideas of who or what Jeremy Lin is, was, and will be. He's only had a significant role for 6 games, a tiny sample size even in this shortened season, and there's really no way to predict what will happen next week, much less the rest of his career. Having said that, I think that I might be able to help sort out some misconceptions people might have about Lin.

So Jeremy Lin...

-Is a devout Christian.
This is one of the things I admire most about him. There are a lot of pro athletes and famous people who claim to believe in God, yet live with questionable morals. One of the biggest turnoffs people have towards Christianity these days is the hypocrisy of many professed believers. I'm really encouraged that despite all this sudden success and popularity, Lin doesn't hesitate in giving God the glory and making clear He's still the center of his life.

-Is Not a wronged, completely overlooked athlete who didn't get the chance he deserved until now.
Certainly Lin's making the most of his opportunity should be praised, however, it would be unfair to totally kill every other team for passing on him. He's a guy who struggled to earn minutes last year in Golden State not because he's Asian or went to Harvard, but because his play wasn't good enough. He was good, not great, at Harvard and good, not great, in the D League as well. I mean, people don't normally perform better against superior competition. It would be a mistake to attribute his success only to the opportunity he's been given as it totally ignores the hard work he's put in to improving his game.

-Is the only in-shape point guard on the Knicks roster.
Part of the reason Knicks fans love Lin so much, in my opinion, is because it's been a long time since they've had a competent player running the point. Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert do not have Lin's vision and are much more suited to a scoring guard role. And the injured Baron Davis...look I don't want to say he's overweight, but I heard when he comes back he's going to see some minutes backing up Tyson Chandler at center. Just saying.

-Is Not a totally unselfish, timid, mistake-free (i.e. Asian) player.
Don't take this the wrong way. He often makes the right pass and is a very smart basketball player. I'm only trying to point out that this would be kind of silly and stereotypical to say given that since his breakout New Jersey game, he's attempted 14+ shots in every game and at least 20 in his past three. There are times he puts his head down and drives to the hoop without looking to his teammates. And while he's been making some great passes, his turnover rate has been extremely high (while only seeing significant minutes in six games, Lin is the only player who has turned the ball over eight times twice this season) Still, while he has his ball stopping moments, he's not nearly the black hole that Carmelo or Amare are. And as he's proved both in tonight's game winner and playing against Kobe, he doesn't back down against any challenge or opponent.

-Is extremely proficient at the pick and roll and an exceptional finisher.
This is, and has always been, his primary strength. According to Synergy Sports, nearly half (47.5%) of his plays are as the ball handler in a pick and roll situation and he averages 0.82 points per possession, good for 38th in the league. He's shooting just under 50%, largely due to the fact that he's taken 64.3% of his shots inside the paint, shooting 52.3% there. His shifty dribble and decisiveness get him to the rim and his toughness helps him finish (or draw a foul) when he gets there. The strength of his attack has allowed Lin to both create points for himself and others as once he gets to the rim, he's done a good job of either scoring a basket or finding an open teammate.

-Is Not a good shooter or elite athlete.
Despite his late game heroics tonight (As a sidenote, why do you take a 3 in a tie game? Don't you want to try to get an easier shot?), Lin's only shooting 36.4% from 20+ feet and 71% from the line over these past six games. And while he's clearly athletic enough to keep up with NBA competition, he doesn't possess the natural advantages that say, Russell Westbrook or Rajon Rondo have with their incredible explosiveness or freakish arm length and hand size respectively. The good news is shooting is something that can improve over time (exhibit A: Jason Kidd) and that so far, he seems smart enough to know how to use his own previously mentioned talents to overcome his relatively average physical tools.

But most importantly, Jeremy Lin
-Is a work in progress.
He's made great strides from last season already and there's no reason to believe he won't continue to do so. His teammates love him (see his handshake with Landry Fields and his 1,000,000 hugs with Jared Jeffries) and coach Mike D'Antoni seems willing to see how long he can ride the Lin wave. At the very least, Baron's return will lighten Lin's load. I don't know what it's like to be a Knicks fan, but with this six (and counting) game winning streak after a 8-15 start, it must seem like anything's possible. And right now it feels like the same is true for Jeremy Lin's career.

The Bachelor Week 7 Power Rankings

A Word on the Departed

Not sure what there is to say really. Rachel didn't really have much connection with Ben in my opinion, just another pretty face. The show seemed to be really trying to oversell her whole phobia of sharks, but it was probably too little too late. Emily didn't have a whole lot either other than her little spat with Courtney. They had a nice one on one, but that was all the way back in NorCal. So I wasn't really too shocked at either, and this was probably my favorite image of the night (h/t facesofrejectedbachelorettes):


Week 7 Power Rankings

1. Kacie B. (no change)
She's going to win right? I'm not totally misreading this? The only thing that gives me some misgivings is that she still seems a little psycho.

2. Lindzi (up 2 spots)
She has really good chemistry with Ben, and honestly she's the most "normal" (relatively speaking) girl left. I have a feeling she's going to really benefit from the hometown date. But if it doesn't work out, I think she (and Kacie) has a lot of Bachelorette potential. So there's that.

3. Courtney (down 1 spot)
I think with so few girls remaining, her strategy of being hyperaggressive with other girls around and "unsure of our relationship" when it's just her and Ben isn't going to work out so well. Ben seems wary of the fact that none of the other girls like her, although the fact that he still kept her around despite that would be a positive. At this point I just don't see Ben picking her in the end. She feels more and more like the crazy, hot (comma necessary) girl you tell your friends about but not someone you'd take to meet your parents. I am interested in meeting her parents though. What spawned this woman...

4. Nicki (down 1 spot)
She seems cool enough, I just don't think her relationship has progressed as far as the other ladies. Her interactions with Ben just look a lot more one-sided than when he's around the other girls. Don't think that's a good sign.

Nom nom

I love food. It's so good. I literally cannot live without food, and if you're a human being (or living being, I guess), I'm willing to bet that you can't either.

Because of this simple, undeniable fact, if I were to make even the strictest of strict contracts, food would be the last thing I cut out. I mean of course, it's not like I would be eating at fancy places every day, but it wouldn't be possible to live without it.

I've been blessed enough to have never gone a day without food, but for me, even when I go several hours without eating, it's not fun. Feeling hungry and weak is one of the worst feelings in the world and I can only guess what true hunger must be like.

The Bible tells us that it, the Word of God, is spiritual food for us as believers. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus says, "Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Hebrews 5 also tells us that as we mature as Christians we continue to need "solid food."

So why is it so easy for me to ignore my spiritual food, not just for hours, but sometimes for days at a time? And when I do take the time to read the Bible, often it's just enough to make myself stop feeling guilty. Contrast that with when I eat regular food, when I exhibit little (or no) self-control and keep going far beyond when I stop being hungry, even sometimes beyond when I start feeling full.

Sometimes I feel like my spiritual life is lacking, and it's abundantly clear why. You don't eat, you don't live.

The Bachelor Week 6 Power Rankings

A Word on the Departed

After seeing Jennifer (who I had at #3 at the time) get sent home, it's kind of nice that my bottom three all got the boot this week. But does it mean I view women the same way that Ben does? Not sure if that would be a good reflection on myself...

Really felt bad that Casey S got sent home (and not just because she was one of the prettiest girls there). I mean, I get that it's not really approved to go on the show while you're seeing someone back home, but it was pretty obvious that her feelings for that guy were very complicated and she was looking to move on. It also seems sort of wack that Ben, a guy who's on that show dating up to 30 women at a time, was upset that Casey still had unresolved feelings about one man. I understand that it's something he would have wanted to hear from her earlier, but is he telling all the girls there how he feels about everyone else? Didn't seem right, but on the other hand it didn't seem like she had a great shot at sticking around anyway.

Despite her uber-aggressive cougar ways, Blakeley the "VIP waitress" just didn't have what it took to keep Ben interested. Don't really know what else to say. She never got a one on one, which this late, is basically a ticket home (as shown by the girls who went home this week). I don't even know if it was really anything she or Rachel did or didn't do on the two on one date or if it was just the lack of chemistry between her and Ben, but if I had to guess, I'd go with the latter.

Well, looks like I was wrong about Jamie being just a nice, cute girl who needed a chance with Ben. Every interaction she had with him this week was super awkward. She started by talking with Ben about how she was kind of nervous or whatever about opening up, but the worst part was when she tried to be aggressive the night of the cocktail party. She (once again) opened with how she didn't really know how to express herself before deciding to straddle him and kiss him. I thought that was a little weird, but it was nothing compared to how she was basically directing him on how she wanted their kiss to go. In the words of someone who's in the know:

@ashhebert

Talking about how to kiss?? #notgood

Week 6 Power Rankings

1. Kacie B (no change)
If I could move her up I would, based purely on the fact that she got a second one on one date while some of the girls hadn't had one yet. Ben really likes her.

2. Courtney (no change)
I hate to say it, but it seems the effectiveness of her super aggressive game is wearing off a little. Ben seems to be growing more wary of her tactics, and I think she's going to have to bring something new to the table soon. Still, I couldn't move her down for two reasons. First, the girls below her still seem uninterested in trying to make a move (which befuddles me given that they're on a show that is essentially about winning a man), whether it's because of respect or because they'd crash and burn as bad as Jamie did. Second, if anyone honestly believes that good 'ol Ben Flajnik the winemaker isn't thinking about taking Courtney the model to the fantasy suite in a few episodes, then they don't know how guys work.

3. Lindzi (up 1 spot)
4. Nicki (down 1 spot)
Honestly there's so little we as viewers have to go by, and I don't even know if Ben has a great idea of how he feels about these girls. Flip flopping these two simply because Lindzi got the group date rose while Nicki didn't really seem to do anything to follow up on her one on one date last week. Still, I feel pretty good about these top four making it to hometowns in a week.

5. Emily (up 1 spot)
6. Rachel (down 1 spot)
Another minor flip flop here, and not because of Emily's prodigious rapping and joking skills. She toned down the Courtney hate and even apologized this week, though honestly that seemed a bit disingenuous to me. This move is mainly because I don't think Ben would have picked Rachel for the two on one date if he wasn't unsure about whether or not he wanted to keep her around. Although I could be misreading it and he brought her because he knew she was getting a rose and Blakeley was going home, but Ben doesn't strike me as a guy who would think like that.

The Bachelor Week 5 Power Rankings

A (brief) Word on the Departed

Never really hid the fact that I didn't like Elyse and I can't say I'll miss her much. I personally thought it was weird how she talked about how she had done everything she wanted to do as a single girl already (at the ripe old age of 24) and now just really wanted to get married and start a family. I think Ben saw the same thing as well. The fact that Elyse couldn't recognize how far behind she was on some of the othe girls and was so upfront about expressing her desire to get hitched and have kids and all that (presumably with Ben) even though she's only been on one group date makes me sort of question her outlook on relationships. Although again, she is 24 and something about her just reminds me of Snooki.

As far as Jennifer goes...wow, did not see that coming. Still not quite sure what Ben was thinking. Something must have happened that we didn't see, because they just had a one on one last week. It would seem kind of strange to me that he liked her enough to give her a rose after that date but then all of a sudden send her home the next week. That's going to shake up the rankings for sure. But hey, at least I wasn't the only one surprised.

@whitneyEVEport

Major upset on the @BachelorABC! How could this happen?! I'm so confused.

@ashhebert

Aww JP and I are so sad about Jennifer! Shocked! :-0

Week 5 Power Rankings

1. Kacie B (no change)
Same ol' sweet Kacie B, but she got to show off some of her competitive side on the group baseball date/competition. I'm assuming she has some athletic ability, since Courtney picked her to be on her team (first, no less), unless there are some weird mind games going on there. I thought it was a good sign that she got the rose on the group date. She didn't seem to be acting super desperate or anything in an effort to get it, so the fact that Ben just gave it to her says a lot. The only reason I thought about moving her down is that I'm not positive she'll be able to handle the pressure as girls keep getting eliminated and Courtney turns her attention towards her. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

2. Courtney (no change)
Still my favorite to watch. Even though I have her ranked second, she still very obviously has more control than any of the other contestants, if only because she's the only one interested in playing that game. I find her little put-downs of the other girls amusing not because I'm a mean-spirited person (...okay, not just because I'm mean-spirited), but because I find them to be very accurate most of the time. But she's now starting to see Kacie as a legitimate threat, and pulling Ben out for a late night skinny dip is an indication of that. To me that's definitely a move out of desperation. You really wouldn't do that unless you needed to change the status quo. I'm not quite sure how well that worked, as Ben seemed to feel kind of bad about it afterwards.

3. Nicki (up 2 spots)
Had to move her up. Maybe it's because I'm new to the show, but I think I tend to overrate one on one dates. However, they looked very comfortable and, despite my hatred for all the contrived metaphors, the fact that they're date didn't get completely ruined by the rain is a good sign I think.
Quick sidenote: Ben said it was "raining gatos." Um, isn't the correct idiom in English "raining cats and dogs"? So why did he just say it was "raining cats"? Silly winemaker...
Anyways, cool date. They were able to enjoy each other's company even though it didn't go as planned. More importantly Ben didn't hesitate in bringing up her married/divorced past, which makes me think he is wanting to make an effort to get past that. Regardless he's handling that whole thing a lot better than I would.

4. Lindzi (no change)
Ben guaranteed her a spot in the second half of the group date by putting her on both baseball teams. Ali thinks it's a positive thing, and for the most part I guess I do too. The only thing is Ben has also given some dates to girls he's not sure about (or so he says) and I wonder if that was the case here. But either way he wanted to spend more time with her, and that's never a bad thing.

5. Rachel (up 2 spots)
6. Emily (no change)
Flip-flop here because of Emily's insistence to keep bringing up Courtney. Tonight was even more bizarre since she started the conversation apologizing for doing so last week and ended the conversation by doing it again. I don't understand. Also, apparently some of her sorority sisters have come out and said she was a fan of the Bachelor and is only going on the show to get her name and face out there? And to that I say...there is nothing wrong with that.

7. Casey S (up 1 spot)
8. Jamie (up 2 spots)
This is probably wishful thinking on my part. Could it be that they've had some meaningful time together that just hasn't been shown? Possible, but probably doubtful. But there has to be some reason that Ben's keeping them around...right?

9. Blakeley (no change)
Sorry, despite her opening up to Ben during the cocktail party, I just don't see this as being a fit at all. Her tears and frustration at baseball and afterwards seemed more like desperation than heartbreak. While she's had more (on-camera) interactions with Ben, does that really put her ahead of the two (younger, more attractive, less stripperish [Google search at your own caution]) girls in front of her on these rankings?

Playing the game

The Bachelor series has always been a mix between dating and reality tv, a sort of unholy combination of eHarmony and the Real World. Obviously it tends more towards the reality tv side of things as it is first and foremost a show, but I feel like the lines get blurred sometimes, even for someone as cynical as me (although this is my first season).

I mean, to me it seems silly that someone would be naive enough to go into the show and treat it like a legitimate opportunity to find a soulmate. Given the nature (one person dating 30 other people at the same time) and history (only a handful of marriages with only one of those still going) of the show, no one could possibly be that doe-eyed right?

At the same time, it seems very cold that someone would treat it as just another reality game show. As much as I find it hilarious when people on the show mention this phrase, there is something to be said about The Right Reasons and there's something a little sinister about someone going on the show just for publicity or just to play the game or something like that while others are genuinely invested.

To be honest I don't know if one is better or worse than the other, but I always find it strange that there are people who go on this show not seeming to know what the premise is. It's not like it's a new thing as it's been on for many years now. I think that no matter why you're there (love, fame, "winning," etc) you should be doing things that increase the chances of you getting what you want. You need to know how to play the game. And in order to do that, you have to reconize both sides of the show.

A Word on the Departed

I can't say I'm too surprised that Samantha got the boot, although that it happened during the group date was a surprise. She seemed nice enough, but a little airheadish although I might be biased by the blonde pageant queen stereotype. I have to say, I don't really understand Ben's logic in letting her go. I guess Ben didn't like that she wasn't happy that she'd only been on group dates? Except that Nicki basically complained about the exact same thing literally minutes before his conversation with Samantha. His explanation seemed kind of dodgy. Maybe he just didn't want to flat out say he wasn't interested? I don't know.

I'm sad Monica's out, but it was bound to happen. She's older than the other girls and really didn't have any chemistry with Ben. Actually on tonight's episode we got a shot of her and Ben walking away to talk during the cocktail reception, but then it cut back to the girls talking amongst themselves. Probably not a good sign. Still, she was clearly the mother hen/big sister to a lot of these other girls and it really showed tonight. It'll be interesting to see what some of these girls do without her to talk to.

Week 4 Power Rankings
(Note: I've never done power rankings for anything. Obviously I realize we don't see all the interactions between people but whatever. Enjoy and make fun of how wrong I am)

1. Kacie B
Already mentioned how much I like her. She seems really taken with Ben (This seems common for people who get the first one on one. Any veteran watchers like to confirm?) and their interactions always seem so much more natural and easy than when Ben's with anyone else. She seems very invested already, but unlike the other girls, I actually believe her when she talks about the connection that they have.
My only misgiving with her is that she doesn't seem to know she's on the Bachelor. How else to explain why she seems to expect every one on one date? Or how surprised/hurt she is when she sees Ben kissing other girls right after kissing her? Like it actually seems like she genuinely believes that Ben is her fiance/boyfriend and cannot comprehend why he is even taking the time to talk to these other girls.

I mean I get it (sorta). I'm sure it's an extremely intense emotional experience. Still...crying just because someone else got a one on one date? Really? I don't know if she has trust/insecurity issues from the past or maybe she's just a (what do they call it?) stage 5 clinger, but that seems like a wild overreaction. Right now she seems like the favorite to become the Bachelorette when she gets dumped. Either that or she'll become a stalker. Still, I think she's a lock for top 3 unless she has a complete mental breakdown.

2. Courtney
Oh Courtney, she really is my favorite. I find that most of the stuff she says is right on. Out of all the girls, she's the most prepared and capable of playing the game. I don't even know if the other girls realize there's a game at all. Ben takes the girls on a horseback riding/fishing date, but while most of the girls seem content to try to reel in a fish, Courtney seems to be the only one with her eyes on the prize.

"I know this is a fishing date, but let's be honest, it's not about catching a trout. It's more about catching Ben. I've never fished before but catching a fish probably isn't that much harder than catching a man...it's all about knowing when to make your move and I'm not seeing a lot of moves at all being made towards Ben."
Regardless of whether or not she and Ben actually have chemistry (I think they do, or at least just as much as nearly all the girls there), she seems to be the only one there who is conscious of the fact that they're on the Bachelor.
She doesn't just talk the talk, she walks it as well. She doesn't force anything on the fishing date, but when she sees her chance she makes her move, pulling Ben away from the rest of the group instead of just standing there trying to make small talk as most of the others do. The fact that she ended up being the only one to catch a fish is just gravy.
Not only that, she's able to steal him away again during the little pool party afterwards. She knows she hasn't endeared herself to the rest of the group and takes advantage of it, telling Ben that she doesn't feel comfortable on the group dates because the other girls don't like her. Once again Ben takes the bait, seeing this as some kind of weakness and being all too ready to save the day with the group date rose.
I honestly don't know if she's completely playing Ben or if she does have feelings for him, but she's definitely playing the rest of the girls, who seem to be reliant on their "connection with Ben" to keep them safe while she makes moves to endear herself to him beyond that. Either way, I'm pretty sure she will be in the top 3 as well. To me, no one really comes close to her or Kacie B. at this point in the show in terms of how far along they are with Ben. Possibly more importantly, I believe that Courtney is the smartest person in the house right now. Some might see it as conniving or manipulative; I just think she has a strong understanding of what she needs to do to get what she wants moreso than the other girls. And not only that, she's a knockout. Sometimes life isn't fair.

3. Jennifer
Ben seems to like her a lot despite the fact that when they're actually talking to each other, there doesn't seem to be any depth. Still, they always seem eager to spend time together and Ben thinks she's the best kisser there. I don't think those two are necessarily unrelated.
(Sidenote: Ben loves kissing. He kisses everyone whenever and wherever he pleases. I think by this point if Ben hasn't kissed you, it's hopeless. Honestly it seems like it's a replacement for conversation for him.)
She got to open up a little bit on their one on one (in which they saw some guy named Clay Walker, continuing the time-honored tradition of featuring "amazing" artists that I have never heard of in my life), revealing that she left her last boyfriend because he didn't want to marry her. She's in luck, because at least one person on the show knows how that feels.

4. Lindzi
The horse girl. She seemed to think that the outdoors group date would work to her advantage, but it looked like she had to ride at the back of the pack since she was the most accomplished rider. Not only that, she tried to move in on Ben in the river after Courtney had pulled him away, but that ended up being SUPER awkward as she stood near them by herself and had to watch Ben make googly eyes at Courtney and the fish she caught. She did very little this episode, but I think she still does have some momentum from her one on one date and the whole horse thing. Not sure how long that will last though.

5. Nicki
This is sort of a gut feeling thing for me. She gets a decent amount of camera time even though she hasn't had a one on one or even a really intense conversation with Ben (that's been aired anyway). I don't know. To me she doesn't seem to have shown a whole lot of substance as everything she's said has just revolved around feelings and falling in love in a very generic sense even though she mentions Ben's name once or twice in there. Still, among the girls who haven't had a one on one yet I think she has the best chance.

6. Emily
Boy, she really shouldn't have talked crap on Courtney to Ben. It always seems super insecure when you have to talk down another contestant rather than focusing on your own relationship. I've only watched two seasons of the Bachelorette other than this, but it seems like every time there's someone who can't resist making this mistake. Even worse, Courtney had already mentioned how the other girls didn't like her, so Ben could easily have seen this as Emily bullying her instead of vice versa. Not only that, when Courtney confronted her about it, she feigned ignorance like a child (which was funny, because she was telling Courtney to stop acting like one). I don't know who she was trying to fool. Courtney knew, Ben knew, and the whole audience knew. Overall, a terrible move, and yet another reason why I continue to believe Courtney is the only one who knows what she's doing.
Even with that, I didn't think it was enough for Ben to send her home. She's very pretty and smart enough to have a real conversation with Ben instead of just boring or BSing him. I think if she can remember why she's here she can make a run.
The previous four girls are pretty close to me, and I think any two of them could make it to the hometown dates right now.

7. Rachel
I know Ben said some stuff about being patient and all that...but honestly their date looked uncomfortable and forced. Of course I realize the producers may have chosen to include more of the awkward moments they had ("There's a beaver lodge over there") compared to the other dates, but there were definitely still shades of the tankless water heater date. Rachel's version of "opening up" consisted of her talking about how hard it is for her to open up, except in a more roundabout way. I appreciate her being honest and not dumping everything out if she wasn't comfortable with that, at the same time, the Bachelor is obviously an extremely fast paced show and I can't see how it's not a disadvantage for her to stay closed off. Despite all this, I guess it was good enough for Ben and he gave her a rose. I'm not sure how far she can get if she continues to beat around the bush, but she does have one thing working to her advantage: she is really pretty.

8. Casey S
She finally made it on-screen today with some quick one on one time during the group date...until Nicki interrupted. She also got to defend Courtney and tell her that Emily talked crap about her to Ben since apparently Casey is Courtney's only friend in the house. It sounds cheesy, but I did like how she didn't just accept someone gossiping about her friend. Other than that, not too much, but she seems cool and I hope we get to see more of her. Among the (3?) girls Ben hasn't kissed, I give her the best chance to make a surprise run.

9. Blakeley
She seems to have toned down her cattiness, maybe content to let everyone hate Courtney instead. Still she hasn't done much since episode 2 so I'm not sure where her aggressive cougar persona went or if she's just waiting. I fail to see what she has on Monica besides that one night. She never seemed to build on it (probably because there was nothing really to build on) and realistically, she's a bit on the old side for this show/Ben.

10. Jamie
I'll be honest, I hate to put her this low since her intro tape was one of my favorites, but she just has not done a single thing to distinguish herself. I'm pretty sure she hasn't been seen talking (or even interacting) with Ben since she got out of the limo. It's almost like she's just chilling in the background waiting to be sent home. I still think she'd be able to make a good impression if she had a one on one, but to this point she's far behind the girls who have gotten one already and hasn't done much to give Ben a reason to want to take her out.

11. Elyse
Had no opinion of her until she ripped Shawntel last week. Then I didn't like her. Obviously what I think of her doesn't matter, but her real problem is that she hasn't gotten a lot of time with Ben, isn't as attractive as most (all?) of the other girls there, and honestly Ben doesn't seem too interested.


Clearly the most important thing is chemistry and genuine romantic feelings, but there has to be more than that as well. In this context I've called it "knowing how to play the game," but really is it any different than what we "normal" people have to go through? In my opinion, understanding the social environment that you're in and being able to conduct yourself appropriately is one of the most important things you can learn in life, whether you're at work, school, on a date, or happen to be trying to find love on reality tv.