Viewing entries in
mtv

"ARE YOU THE ONE?" EPISODE 9 -- EMOTIONAL PUBERTY

"ARE YOU THE ONE?" EPISODE 9 -- EMOTIONAL PUBERTY

We’ve officially reached the point in Are You the One? where it’s hard to know just who to root for.  Several of the contestants have by now proved themselves to be completely loathsome in terms of how they process frustration and anger. Others seem entirely committed to forever being defined by the insulting tags MTV anointed them with that define how they typically behave in relationships.  Are we really expected to root for “The Forever Side Piece” even as she continues to vie to be that Side Piece?  Is anyone desperately pulling for a man who, by his own admission, morphs into an aggressive beast when he gets angry?  As a viewer, I’m starting to feel just as pissed off as some of the people on the show, but I think it’s important for a reality TV watcher to have a stake in the televised proceedings.  With that in mind, I have officially decided to root for whichever volcano is nearest to the house where these people are staying because it might be lovely to deal with some actual lava for a change instead of the bubbling fury that emits from the mouths of those pretending to search for love in between fistfights.

"ARE YOU THE ONE?" EPISODES 7 & 8 -- THE KWASI BEAST

"ARE YOU THE ONE?" EPISODES 7 & 8 -- THE KWASI BEAST

So the last episode ended with the group only nailing one new measly beam of light and Terrence J telling them their process has been nothing but trash.  The episode also ended with Zak rolling his eyes at Bria’s continuing stalker tendencies, which means the two of them will surely hook up tonight because Zak is the only person on the planet who saw Fatal Attraction and walked away thinking that being flattered was the point of the movie.

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 9 -- BLOODY FUCKING MARY & THE BEAR

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 9 -- BLOODY FUCKING MARY & THE BEAR

I suppose the only positive thing about Logan stalking Kortni while cameras follow his every terrifying move is that we now have yet another visual example of toxic masculinity should anyone still be unclear about what it looks like.  TMZ reported just a few days ago that Logan was arrested for violating the restraining order Kortni eventually had to take out on him and every single sign that he is legitimately and dangerously unbalanced has played out on our television screens – and it continues to do so this week. 


"ARE YOU THE ONE?" EPISODE 4 -- ISN'T IT ROMANTICAL?

"ARE YOU THE ONE?" EPISODE 4 -- ISN'T IT ROMANTICAL?

I realize, of course, that very few people are drawn to Are You the One? because of the mathematical strategies that must be employed for twenty-two people to have a shot at splitting a million dollars, but for those who are interested, the statistics at this point are as follows:

•    3 beams of light were nabbed in 2 consecutive ceremonies.

•    0 matches were made from 2 sojourns into the Truth Booth.

•    1 guy received head from Kenya during a luau.

•    1 girl named Lauren has received approximately 36 seconds of screen time.

•    7 blowups have gone down courtesy of Bria and 4 of them required she be physically restrained.

•    And the number of women still convinced something real and true exists beneath Zak’s staggering and smelly layers of douchiness? Well, that number would probably measure somewhere near infinity.


"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 8 -- THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 8 -- THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE

A few of the men I’ve dated have had some flaws.  One had severe commitment issues.  One’s favorite hobby was telling me complicated lies. One thought it would be totally normal if we eventually had separate bedrooms.  And one was a clinical narcissist who should really be studied by a team of very brave experts who do not scare easy.  But not one of them ever grabbed a phone out of my hands when a male friend called and blubbered, “Who is this?” in a manner that required both subtitles and a straightjacket.

"ARE YOU THE ONE?" EPISODE 3 -- THE SPECIFIC OCEAN

"ARE YOU THE ONE?" EPISODE 3 -- THE SPECIFIC OCEAN

A sweet reader of my recaps remarked last week that Bria’s crazed behavior — you know, the kind she exhibited each of the five times she flew into a rage during the premiere episode because a guy she’d known for all of forty-eight hours was speaking with other girls during a DATING SHOW — would lead to producers tossing her from the villa for good. There’s a true sense of logic behind that kind of rational mindset, but my response was that I guessed that not only would Bria never be thrown off this show, but she would instead become the newest face of MTV and eventually appear on every single one of the network’s shows. The girl has chosen to present herself as an unstable hellion who experiences only the briefest pangs of retrospective regret and that, of course, means two things: 1) She is a casting director’s fever dream come true and 2) Anyone who questions if this girl should be anywhere but on a therapist’s couch is someone I would probably choose as a lifelong friend.

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 6 -- FLAMING FUCKING FLAGS FLYING

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 6 -- FLAMING FUCKING FLAGS FLYING

Full disclosure: I do not follow the reality show people I write about on social media. (Well, there is one. I’m Twitter buds with Ariana from Vanderpump Rules, but that’s because 1) She followed me first and 2) I’m pretty sure she’s fucking normal.) But the rest of them? Nope. It’s nothing personal, but I figure my job is to write exclusively about the lives they so willingly portray on these shows and I see no need to cloud my recaps with outside stuff. And it is because of this intentional blissful ignorance of mine that I had no idea how correct my first impressions have been of Logan, Kortni’s terrifying boyfriend. Last week I mentioned the way the guy causes my insides to freeze. Then I searched online for a picture of him to accompany the post on my site and it turned out that Googling “Logan Floribama Shore” led me to all sorts of scary articles you can check out yourself if you’re interested in what I guess I’d call “tragic spoilers.”

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 5 -- PATRICK BATEMAN WITHOUT THE SUIT

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 5 -- PATRICK BATEMAN WITHOUT THE SUIT

The season finale of Billions ended with Bobby Axelrod standing at a very unexpected doorway and then — even more unexpectedly — being invited inside by a person who was (REALLY unexpectedly) quite pleased to see him. That ending was a shocker. Know what’s never a shocker? When an episode of Floribama Shore ends in a brawl outside of a bar or with two unappealing human beings fucking in a shower that they’ll probably then piss in during a moment of postcoital bonding.

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 4 -- PISSING & POSING

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 4 -- PISSING & POSING

So it appears the most pressing issues are as follows:

Nilsa wants Gus, but he’s yet to fully give in to her advances. He’s also in the midst of a full-blown spiritual crisis that could cause his hair to finally go limp. 

Candace is choosing to date a walking hyphenated felon. She also cannot forgive Gus for refusing to swear to a police officer (who has a gun) that Kirk did nothing wrong — even after everyone, including Kirk, admitted he did something wrong.

Kortni refuses to stay sober for longer than fifteen minutes straight and enjoys pissing in corners.

Aimee is mostly keeping it together, but a recent story on Page Six makes it clear her stability is temporary. 

Jeremiah can’t believe he shares a bathroom with such imbeciles and he needs a stylist immediately.

Codi likes to kiss strangers after puking in urinals.

Kirk punched a guy at a bar and is currently in handcuffs in the back of a police car. 

Now, I’d love to believe a weekend of intensive group therapy or the lighting of several hundred Jesus candles will resolve all of these issues, but let’s be realistic. Let’s also remember that we’re only in episode four and modern technology probably cannot even begin to chart just how far things will devolve from here.

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 3 -- THE BRACKET

"FLORIBAMA SHORE" EPISODE 3 -- THE BRACKET

It’s either love or desperation that’s brewing in the Floribama Shore house between Gus and Nilsa. Fortunately for us, neither driving force is ruled by the desire for privacy. It appears their entire courtship — from Nilsa’s bold flirtations to Gus eventually giving in to the imminent sex recorded by night vision cameras to their subsequent alcohol-fueled drag out fights — will all be televised, and I suppose I should be concerned for the mental wellbeing of all the other roommates as they become forced spectators of this probably doomed relationship, but really? I’m just one person. I can’t afford to expend energy worrying about everything that can go wrong in that house, especially since I’m far more apprehensive about the moment Kortni decides to break someone’s nose for doing something unbelievably egregious like moving her contouring kit. Still, a romance between housemates cannot possibly be a good idea, so I think it wise that we organize – that we benefit from this madness in some way. Here’s what I propose: we set up some sort of bracket wherein we place bets on all the crazy shit that will eventually transpire in that house, including how and when things between Gus and Nilsa will eventually crumble beyond reason and comprehension. And I think this bracket should involve money, as I have recently decided to redecorate my living room and the hammered stainless steel block coffee table I have my eye on doesn’t come cheap.