Bachelor Australia - Season 10 - Felix - Jed - Thomas - Episodes - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

And away we go.  

Discuss episodes here.

Episode 1: Part A

Flashback montage from previous seasons then Osher with the hard sell.  "It's 2022, everything's changed, we're new & different".  If you say so Osh.

Lead Intros.

As previously discussed, Jed's hair is going to be a dead giveaway as to when stuff was filmed.  

Exhibit A: longer hair, thinner build, clueless expression, nervous fidgeting, rabbit in headlights - start of filming IMO.




Exhibit B: shorter, thicker hair, heavier build, tanned, battle hardened, more camera savvy - filmed much later IMO.




I'm glad they addressed his religion at the outset and hope TPTB put genuine effort into finding him compatible matches (alas I suspect they did not...)




Felix.  Hmmmm... I still find him very one-dimensional and contrived.  Feels like he's playing a character.  "The Jock Who's Never Been in Love".  Meh.




Thomas' intro package looks like it would slot perfectly into Kiki's Instagram  I mean, come on.  She was 100% cast as a probable wifey for him IMO.





Source


RINGS.

Thomas




Felix




Jed




For comparison with SCs later.  And that's it for the scene setting.  Next up, the women have prepared dates for these absolute strangers, as you do.

Source: Tenplay

Episode 1: Part B

Jed/Catelyn

Catelyn has long trashy blonde extensions and tells us multiple times she's a "psychology graduate", which probably means she did a couple of units as part of an Arts degree.  Do the 6+ years to become a clinical psychologist and then get back to me honey.




She grills him mercilessly and doesn't give their conversation a chance to flow naturally.  At the conclusion Jed offers her a rose, which she declines.  Her speech sounds rehearsed; scripted to give the impression that "the girls have power this season", IMO.



NEXT!

Felix/Krystal

Krystal seems aware she was cast to counterbalance All The Blondes, so at least she's going in with eyes open.  Her interests include hugging people and not wearing a bra.  She's from Essex (oh HERE WE GO )




They roll around in body paint getting as intimate as the timeslot will allow.  Felix gets a boner and Krystal gets a rose (and a kiss).  Well how could she not after that performance.  Well played, M'Lady.



Thomas/Anna

Anna is neurotic and worried she smells.  Thomas knows it's not going to fly and withholds the rose.  Fair call TBH.  Thomas feels like a douchebag while Anna consoles herself with a packet of crisps.



So there was have it - three dates, three outcomes:

- Girl says no
- Boy and girl both say yes
- Boy says no

Which I'm sure is all just a remarkable coincidence.

But wait, there's more.


Jed/Emma

What the hell was that?  Emma didn't even try to be polite and why are they making Jed out to be such a tosser?  This does not bode well.  Definitely feel like he's going to be thrown under the bus this season.  




Jed/???

THIS GIRL IS NOT EVEN NAMED?!  What on earth is this format.  It feels like massive chunks of footage have been cut, or were never even filmed.  First time TPTB have made a Lead appear so snarky/undesirable.  




Thomas/Kiki

Well hello there.  "Love at first sight," says Thomas, and he can't give her the rose fast enough.  Hmmm... well that seems a bit too easy.  Still think she'll be his first choice but surely there will be some ~ obstacles ~ in store.




Thomas/????

Next come multiple rapid fire dates with anonymous women because guys it's 2022 and women are so empowered they don't need to be weighed down by antiquated patriarchal constructs such as... names... right?






And now here's potty-mouthed Lou with the nerf gun park date leaked to the paps, establishing a dichotomy between fun/loud/brash Lou and spiritual/refined/artistic Kiki from the outset.  TPTB do love a good contrast.




Back to Sulky Jed and the music's taken a distinctly dark turn.  He's shown giving a few more un-named women the brush-off and saying he's "picky".  R.I.P dude.  The editors are not going to be kind to you at all are they.  





Meanwhile Felix, AKA The Good One is charming the pants off women left right and centre and handing out roses like a train station florist on Valentine's Day morn.  So as expected, three VERY different edits for these Leads already.








After a quick outfit change and a pep talk from the producers during which I presume they reminded him of his contractual obligations (for the love of god PICK SOMEONE, we need a cast) Jed is back for a yoga session and Jasmine scores his first rose.



OK now Thomas is randomly dumping someone and Jed gets a tattoo of a spatula.  There is no flow to this episode at all - girls are being rejected and wondering WTF just happened, outfits are changing and changing back.  This season is cooked.  




Jed gives out some more roses to women who's names appear inconsequential and I've stopped trying to listen for them.  TPTB are making no secret of the girls who'll be contenders and the rest are presumably just going to be cannon fodder.







Speaking of main players, right on cue here comes Tilly, and following a questionable editing choice her date with Felix plays out like a carbon copy of Jed's date with Angela.  One can only assume one relationship will end well, and the other badly.




Angela says she likes men who "don't give a sh*t what people think of them" and seems to think Jed falls into that category?  Um, beg to differ.  On the contrary it seems to me Jed is very much about appearances and portraying a certain image, IMO.




Tash says men are "intimidated by my looks".  Girl, you are just inviting unkind comments with statements like that.  But Jed's into it and says "if I were a woman that's what she'd look like" and is it just me or is there not a certain... uhh... resemblance?  




Next up we have Jessica of the Many Boyfriends.  Felix says she's "perfect"; everything he was hoping for but let's see how he feels after he finds out about her plus one.  He then proceeds to let down half a dozen others when he realises he's running short of roses.




Leah's going to get destroyed but we already picked that.  She's wearing a wedding dress which Thomas thinks is heartwarming and he cries at the end of the date even though I'm pretty sure wearing a wedding dress on a first date is psychopathic behaviour.




Alesia is one to watch.  She picks up on the fact that Jed's sensitive and isn't fooled by his clothes/tatts/hair.  That's her at the end of season IMO - hair colour matches and he's looking down, so the height seems right too.  Still expecting him to leave single though...





And just when you think things can't get any more ridiculous, Felix likes crazy cat lady Abigail so much he phones Jed and asks if he can pinch one of his roses, since he's run out.  The scriptwriters must have been patting themselves on the back over this one.




Source: Tenplay

And that's it.  Girls chosen.  Ten each +/- one for Felix/Jed.  After the break the girls move into the "mansion".  This episode is exhausting I need a meal break.  

Episode 1: Part C

Arrivals.  Most of these dresses are AWFUL.  Cue someone telling me I'm old and boring and have no taste

















Only 29 girls pictured so I think I must have missed one?  Will go back and check at the end of the episode.

Not going to lie it's pretty funny watching the girls gradually twig that they didn't all date the same guy.  





The episode ends with a long season preview.  I'll post SCs of that over on the SC thread.  

Quote of the promo from Felix: "I love a threesome, but I don't want to do it with my wife"  

Source: Tenplay

@Bobette Thanks for the recap and all the screenshots. I have a feeling that you made it seem a lot more entertaining than it actually was.

@Sprite It started off OK but the deathmatch dating portion of the episode was bizarre and uncomfortable viewing.  A complete dog's breakfast with so many unnamed girls being unceremoniously rejected without explanation.  AWK-WARD.  I'll watch Ep 2 later today once I've had time to recover from Ep 1

Episode 2: Part A

Starts with a recap of episode 1 and highlighting the MAIN PLAYERS in flashing neon lights in case we were too stupid to work it out for ourselves.  Thanks TPTB.

The MAIN PLAYERS are:

Jed
- Alesia

Thomas
- Marnie (till he finds out she's got kids...)
- Kiki
- Leah

Felix
- Krystal
- Tilly
- Jess (till he finds out she's got a boyfriend...)

Flash forward to the rest of the episode:

Felix shown pashing Tilly on night 1 in front of everyone, Ella in tears and a car departing.  Think we might be about to find out why she's been left off the cast list, @ariwolf, @butterflylove, @GuardianAngel. I can't see production taking too kindly to someone wasting a spot by walking out on night 1.





Meanwhile, Osher calls the ladies to order and we get the front view of the rear view paparazzo pics that were leaked to the press on May 24.  That's SO LONG AGO.  These girls must be thrilled the season has finally dragged it's rotting carcass to air after all that time not being able to shill teeth whitener.





Source


Krystal is good value I am enjoying her sassy commentary.  But then I would expect nothing less from an Essex girl, it being the spiritual home of trashy reality TV.  




Leah is in love with Thomas already and we're going to need to send in professional cleaners to mop up the bloodbath left behind when Thomas is finished with her.



Jed arrives and gets the girls' attention, and not just the ones he gave roses to.  Setting the scene for some defections from Teams Thomas & Felix over to Team Jed.



Felix speaks and the camera zooms to buff Tilly, then polygamist Jess.  Could you be ANY MORE OBVIOUS with this editing, TPTB?  Tilly will be Felix's F1 for sure IMO.  





Thomas speaks and the camera zooms so close on Kiki we almost see the inside of her nostrils, then over to Leah.  What is this, Bachelor for Dummies?  WE GET IT.





Jed's turn and Alesia gets the first zoom, followed by Sundry Others.  Seems pretty likely Alesia is the only one Jed will be seriously interested in all season, IMO.






Osher employs a clumsy "ride every ride at the theme park" metaphor to let the girls know they're allowed to swap Bachies, after which the boys whip out their rings.



This elicits a mixed response from the crowd.  Ladies, please, did you not read the brief?  This show has always been about marrying a guy you've spent 2-3 days with.






Source: Tenplay

Episode 2: Part B

OK, interesting.  At this point the episode diverges.  Seems we're going to see three separately edited versions of the cocktail party, from the point of view of each Bachelor.  First up is Jed.



He discusses drumming techniques, nail polish, kissing with eyes open, being emotionally vulnerable, etc etc.  Gotta reinforce his Themes so the audience can tell the Leads apart, right TPTB?




So Jed's chatting to camera when all of a sudden we're hit with this jarring contrast. This is what happens when you try to insert footage shot during post-production.  Seamless integration.




Tash finds out Jed kissed "other girls" on their dates (honey he didn't even kiss YOU - that was a peck at best - so don't go getting all territorial) then forces a kiss on him at the CP.  How embarrassing for her.



At this stage I would like to point out that I specifically recall Jed asking for consent before he kissed each girl in episode 1 ("Is it OK if I kiss you a bit?") and yet Tash offers no such respect.  NOT COOL.



And sucked in it didn't even work because he then takes Alesia aside and she lays a kiss on him from which he doesn't recoil and isn't holding his hands behind his back.  See the difference here, Tash?  




Moving on.



Thomas wants a girl who's "excited to live life".  He has a gaggle of girls around him but can't stop thinking about Kristen AKA Kiki so goes off to find her.  Look at his face.  Can't blame him though; she's gorgeous.  





At this point I am reminded of the first rule of sleuthing: see who the Lead is chasing.  By that logic the F1s should be Alesia, Kiki and Tilly and if they're not, it's because the girls turned the men down, IMO.



Quick chat with Marnie then Leah is crying and saying she "hasn't liked anyone like this for a really long time", while Thomas reminds us that he hasn't seen her since they spent "that amazing 20 minutes together".  Oh dear.




Third Act.



Tilly makes a beeline for Felix.  She talks about how much she enjoyed their date and how she can picture their life together and he looks at her like he wants to eat her alive.  And then he does.    




Felix says things like "I do what I want", "It's great you're allowed to date several women at once here" and, "I'm not going to hold myself back".  Hmm... sounding a lot like that player he's trying to convince us he's not.



Meanwhile, the other girls are thoroughly unimpressed and Ella's gearing up to make her exit.  Have these girls actually watched the show?  Did they not realise what they were getting themselves into?  It is SEASON TEN.





And that's it.  Ella's bolted, and we now know the reason her IG is private and she wasn't afforded a spot on the cast list.  Felix doesn't GAF, and proceeds to double down under a blanket.  I do not care for this man at all.



Coming up: Group Date.

Source: Tenplay

Oh dear, is Leah the new Emma?

@butterflylove 100%

Bach 101: Cast a clinger.

Episode 2: Part C

Back from the break and it's The Morning After.  Felix is debriefing with the other guys and suspects he *may* have done something wrong by pashing Tilly in full view of all the other girls.  He notes Jed was smart to kiss Alesia "privately".  Thomas is all of us.




Group Date - Pool Party

This season, only the girls who go on group dates are at risk of being eliminated.  Girls who don't go on the GD are automatically safe.  Clever.  That gives production more control over who goes when, who stays, who gets promoted, who flies under the radar.



Bella likes three things in life.  Two of them are champagne and oysters.  I'll let her tell you what the third one is when you watch the episode because her delivery really sells it.  I look forward to further Bella narration and hope they kept her around for a while.



Meanwhile, Felix wants to par-TAY.  He doesn't regret kissing Tilly, only "being caught".  He tells the girls he doesn't want them thinking he's a player.  Cue a montage of girls calling him a player, and the most revolting editing sequence since the Chocolate Bath fiasco.









Jed gets some attention with a drum solo before giving Tash some pool lessons during which she casually drops into conversation that she was engaged to "another Bachelor" who was "in the limelight".    Girl, he was a Bachelorette contestant, nothing more.




Felix is a dog.  Sorry that's rude; let me rephrase.  Felix is A DOG.  He says he likes breaking rules, kisses the girl in the white bikini (can't be bothered looking up her name) and then says "ooohhh rose ceremony tonight - imagine kissing a girl and then not giving her a rose?"...



Cue Rose Ceremony

On the chopping block:



Safe:



Girls don't automatically leave if they don't get a rose from their Bachelor.  They can refuse a rose in the hope that someone else will offer them one.  The girls on the bench are watching and offering commentary (read: gossiping and bitching) which adds an interesting dimension.



Leah is left till Thomas' last rose because you must torture The Clinger - it's the rules - and then three girls we hardly knew are headed for the exit.  Preview for next episode shows Jessica's "open relationship" being exposed and Felix being outraged as if he's a bastion of morality.  



And that's it!  Pretty much as bad as I was expecting.    Few likeable characters.  Jasmine would be my favourite girl.  None of the guys appeal to me at all.  I feel a bit sorry for Jed - seems like there's a decent boy in there deep down but he's just trying WAY TOO HARD to be "cool" IMO.  

Source: Tenplay

Great posts! I watched both episodes! My quick first impressions... of course things may change, my first impressions are often wrong (but not always) even in terms of just my own opinions, so I don't trust them, but here they are:

Felix seems like a player who comes across as just not respecting women at all. He calls women 'girls', which I hate. Seems pissed off when he finds out he has a polyamorous woman in his bunch but freely admits to being a cheater and ghoster and player? Hypocritical much? Like, good luck finding women after this, dude.

Thomas, I'm on the fence about so hard I'm getting splinters. Might be alright, might be awful. Just going to have to see that one play out.

Jed, I am so surprised but I liked him the best of the bunch. I have a feeling this show, this experience was just not right for him at all.

As for the women.. eh. The usual suspects are all here: the stage 5 clinger who believes instalove is real and not just something in fanfic and romance novels; the villain; the obvious F1/F2/F3 types; the obvious background players and MoTs; the ones cast to be narrators, the ones given a plot by the producers and they're safe until that plot is done.

Fashion: is so bad. Is that just current fashion? Or are they styled badly? Or did they go out of their way to pick women who need serious fashion advice? The clothes look SO cheap. Is it the lighting, which Osher seemed super proud of being not the fairy lights and flowers and candles etc but I think softened things a lot and was a lot more forgiving in terms of the women's clothing, makeup etc. This set up just looks really... stark, empty. A bit cheap tbh. I know we made fun of them getting all their set dressings from Kmart but just having none at all isn't great either imo. Like that last screenshot ^ right there could be in a rented suburban 3 bed from the 80s or something. It's so... blah. Wow a curtain. And carpet. And a couple of vases of roses.