Luke Pell - Bachelorette 12 - BWG - Discussion - #3

I didn't get a sour grapes, angry or upset vibe from Luke. He was pretty chill, really. Dude is over it IMO

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154618438019172&id=55354819171&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fiheartradio%2Fvideos%2F10154618438019172%2F&_rdr

alwaystulips wrote:I didn't get a sour grapes, angry or upset vibe from Luke. He was pretty chill, really. Dude is over it IMO

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154618438019172&id=55354819171&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fiheartradio%2Fvideos%2F10154618438019172%2F&_rdr

Thank you for posting the link and I didn't get a sour grapes, angry or upset vibe from Luke either.  He was smiling and fine the whole time IMO.

IMO TPTB played Luke & chase big time. They were prepping Nick for this a long while ago. They knew Nick would do whatever they wanted the minute he agreed to throw Andi under the bus on ATFR,( and we all know how TPTB love the guys who will do whatever they want) then they put him on Kaitlyn's season (knowing he isn't her F1) they make her bring him to F2 ( to keep him alive with fans), Then A trip to Paradise ( still keeping him out there. imo My guess is that he went on Paradise already knowing that he was lead pick for "the next bachelor" & the drama was set up for Josh & Nick confrontation. It looks to me like Nick was in on the whole thing along with the producers . You can bet "Jen" shows up on Nick's season. jmo

SLA44 wrote:

alwaystulips wrote:I didn't get a sour grapes, angry or upset vibe from Luke. He was pretty chill, really. Dude is over it IMO

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154618438019172&id=55354819171&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fiheartradio%2Fvideos%2F10154618438019172%2F&_rdr

Thank you for posting the link and I didn't get a sour grapes, angry or upset vibe from Luke either.  He was smiling and fine the whole time IMO.

IMO, it is also worth noting that Chase was asked the question first, and he started poking fun at Nick's being chosen first in the way he answered it.  And, while they were leading Chase on, too, it appears, he wasn't being strung along and PROMISED that he was lead as Luke was.  Luke said that he asked them multiple times:  "Am I going to be Caila'd.  Are you going to do with me what you did to Arie and Caila.  If you don't want me to be lead and you are playing me, just let me go.  That is fine with me, and I can just get back to my life and projects in Nashville."  He said they repeatedly told him right until just a few days before:  "No, Luke.  You are our guy, and you always have been.  You will hear/are hearing other names and clues being thrown out there....but don't pay attention to that.  That is just what we have to do to keep the suspense."  He said he had finally gotten to the point where he quit being skeptical and that it was really going to happen since he had literally checked into his flight...and then he gets the 10:00 p.m. call before flying out the next morning.  Then, in the last couple weeks Chris Harrison does a 3rd interview claiming:  "This was not an indictment on Luke..we would really like him to still be the Bachelor or on BIP...but...sincerity is really important to us.  We just kept coming back to Nick that he was most sincere in really finding love.  And, we just started to question Luke's sincerity and why he was here."  So, yeah, if I were Luke, I would be a lot angrier, sarcastic, etc. than he was in that interview or has been.  He is a better person than I for sure. And, again, they were all 3 put in a very tough situation by Ben when he asked that question.  When watching, to me, I saw that Luke felt pretty uncomfortable about answering that question by his body language.  But, he was just trying to be as honest as he could in the moment.  I have heard Nick make fun of himself several times or seen it in an interview.  The show was even using graphic in promotion:  "No longer the Runner-Up".  So, I don't see Luke's comment/tone any worse than what Nick, some of his friends, Bach alum, and show has said about it.  And, it is just about 3 weeks since it happened...still pretty early.   ALL JMO

This is the show. This is what they do.
A huge indicator of who TPTB are, should be when the cast person gets to the contractual clause that states(paraphrased) we can portray you any which we we please, including making you look like a dandified donkey. (paraphrased).
I don't know about anyone else, but if I saw a demeaning clause in a contract I was about to sign, I would run in the opposite direction. Then to come back and consider signing it again??? This was not Luke's first rodeo with TPTB.
Fool me once--shame on you. Fool me twice--shame on me.
Luke was not the first and won't be the last.
Cast need to familiarize themselves with the fable of the scorpion and the frog. Beware the scorpion.

Yeah, there are enough precedents by now to know that nothing is certain until they announce your name to the public. If you can't risk a blindside then run in the opposite direction. They've been doing this for several seasons now. They even dragged Britt along for the first night just to humiliate her, since if the rumours are true, they made certain Kaitlyn would win the vote. Last year Nick took an extended leave from his job because he was in the running and I suspect they told him he'd get a shot at DWTS if not the Bachelor. Both those gigs fell through, but I don't remember a word of complaint from him, just one tweet expressing disappointment after the final DWTS cast was announced. He didn't burn any bridges, instead made the best of it, and now a year later he's the Bachelor. If there's one thing you can say about Nick, it's that he knows how to play the game. Sounds like Luke doesn't if he was already giving them a hard time during negotiations and went straight to the tabloids after getting axed. I guess he doesn't care if he's done with the franchise but I think he's just reinforcing their decision with his actions.

I thought all 3 men answered Ben's question about Nick as next lead nicely. I didn't hear bitterness or jealousy from Luke. Considering that Nick questioned the character and genuineness of Jojo's final six and called Robby "the worst" (after Alex), I thought Robby was particularly gracious. But I thought all 3 men handled that question with class, and that doesn't surprise me because IMO all 3 are class acts IRL. They have nothing to be bitter or jealous of, IMO.

IMO, Nick has definitely learned to play the game, but I see him as their puppet. If it were me, I wouldn't want to be a puppet for this franchise and be what appears to be a gimmick on their part. IMO, Luke showed continuously on his season that he wasn't interested in playing into their games or being a puppet. He always removed himself from any of the drama, most notably with Chad and Alex, and he literally would leave the room. He probably showed them pretty quickly in negotiations that he wasn't going to be easily manipulated. He had already proven that in his actions while filming the first time around, IMO. IMO, Luke didn't want what happened to him to happen to anyone else, or at least he was going to try to prepare future lead contestants for the reality of what they were going to face. No one had the guts to do it before Luke, but IMO, Luke's character wouldn't allow him to just let them continue to do that to people without the public and people having a good understanding. IMO, we must remember that people who are on this site or follow Reality Steve know about their casting and editing antics---but the general public and much of Bachelor Nation does not really understand how TPTB work. This was a big story. Media wanted to do interviews with him to get to the bottom of what happened. He agreed to do the interviews and be as honest as possible. I do not consider People or ET Weekly or Entertainment Tonight to be "tabloids", IMO. I feel they are much more credible than that. These were the top media outlets he did his interviews with. Arie immediately responded and finally publicly admitted what happened to him. I think he finally got the courage because Luke had the courage to reveal what TPTB are really like to the general viewer who had no idea of the depth of their tricks.

I most definitely agree that he doesn't care if this franchise never wants to work with him again. (Although they ironically keep trying to calm viewers down by doing 3 interviews now saying that they are very interested in Luke being the Bach down the road or being on BIP.) IMO, Luke wouldn't work with/for them again even if they gave him a lucrative salary to do so. So, it doesn't bother him if he never gets to do anything with this show again. He doesn't need this show, as he has plenty of country music industry supporting him and giving him opportunities.

Nick moved to LA and has made a career of this show (selling products and starting to model) and in partying with the cast members, most notably with former female cast members, and the sources that claim the intimacy of several of those relationships. So, IMO, he was probably needing this opportunity pretty badly to continue in these ventures. Luke seems to be doing well, probably even better, without the Bach. He has said it was an "unanswered prayer". He appears to have gotten must frustrated when in the same breath of saying they really wanted him to be Bach or on BIP down the road and that their decision was not an "indictment" on Luke, but then they said they just weren't sure if he was there for the "right reasons" and unsure of his sincerity. Whether they say they can attack a person's character or not in a contract, that doesn't mean the person has to allow them to do that without defending themselves or trying to set the record straight. I think any person would want to do that.

ALL JMO. I certainly do not share the same opinion as some on here. That is ok, as we all get to have our opinions on here in this discussion thread. These are mine.

I don't think any of the guys sounded bitter, they all answered like expected. Isn't it a running joke how many times Nick has appeared on the show? Nick himself runs with it. I like when people give their real opinions, not rehearsed ones. Nick certainly gave his opinion of JoJo's guys.

BUT if Luke keeps appearing at Bach events and takes the perks the show offers, he cannot keep saying he was done dirty (I don't know if he still is). None of these people are entitled to anything, and to get invites to iHeart etc are huge perks, which also help Luke's music career. So from now on, he needs to get with the program, or step away from the perks as well. Jmo.

Arie has commented on what happened before Luke was even in the picture. I don't think he went into as much detail (that was RS) but he's definitely said something before, I remember it. I think it was last year.

I always took CH's sincerity comments as code talk for willingness to be a producers' puppet. I don't know what makes some contestants think they're some sort of VIP, but the fact of the matter is that the leads are just employees. Like in any hiring process, the recruiters are looking for a person who is willing to work with them and do as they're told. If you already show signs of not willing to work with your employer during the interview stage then good luck with getting the job. While I agree that TPTB of this show are immoral a-holes and you have to be a masochist to want to work with them, Luke obviously did since he was willing turn his life upside down for a shot. He can't even blame ignorance if he was well aware he could be Caila'd. I know fans like to say the person who didn't get the gig is better off, but just look at Caila. No matter how she was treated she went back for more and had another crappy experience. None of these people are above this show, otherwise they wouldn't be on it in the first place. JMO

I have it on good authority Chase was strung along as much a as Luke. They told him it was between him and Luke and apparently kept telling him they were close to choosing him. They told him they have decided to go in a different direction same as Luke but according to Chase when they told him that he was sure then it was Luke. He said he had no idea Nick was in the mix. So Luke wasn't the only one played, and there is no need to put the blame on Nick. This is the TPTB MO every year.

Reminder: This is the Luke discussion thread. In order to keep the topic on Luke it would be best not to compare him to other cast.
I have no doubt this is difficult, but when the discussion turns to other cast, the discussion goes sideways.
I think it's safe to say any cast involved in negotiations is led down the rose garden path.
Thanks.