Bachelor Australia - Season 11 - Wesley - Luke - Ben - Episodes - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

Sorry if I missed something. How come you and @Bobette think Aarthi is F1 and not Ellie? Didn't the Australian tabloid report that Luke's final pick was a love at first sight type of thing? Doesn't that fit more with Ellie than Aarthi?

@olive54321 there hasn’t been any spoilers, so it could easily be Ellie F1.
I think @Bobette feels that Ellie is a bit too much of a curated influencer type to end up with Luke, and I feel that production wouldn’t be giving all these details about how unhappy Arthi’s family are about her going on the show if that wasn’t going to be a big story at some point in the season, and it really only matters if he chooses her despite her families objections.

olive54321 wrote:Sorry if I missed something. How come you and @Bobette think Aarthi is F1 and not Ellie? Didn't the Australian tabloid report that Luke's final pick was a love at first sight type of thing? Doesn't that fit more with Ellie than Aarthi?

1. First Date Curse.  Ellie got not only the first kiss but also the first date – she's way too visible.  If she was going to end up F1 they'd play it down a bit.  She's also flitted from one Lead to another making her look fickle. She might even go at F3.

2. Australian tabloids reporting "love at first sight" is more than likely a red herring. Most media are dumb and will print anything Channel 10 leaks to them, and SD has already been wrong about several things this season (the Lead, for a start)

3. Aarthi is getting the typical F1 edit.  Featured in episode 1 describing herself as "romantic", with Luke saying the same thing. Short chat on the couch but not enough to stand out. Constant zooming on her as others get roses from Luke at the RCs.

4. Attraction established after invitation to Bach Pad.   Small cute asides shown between them e.g. at the Tennis.  And from what @Dirty Street Pie says, she gets the second single date in Episode 4.  That alone used to be enough to call the winner.

Now watch me be completely wrong  

@Dirty Street Pie We are on the same page.  If Luke doesn't pick Aarthi and just dragged her to the FRC for TPTB to get some "diversity points" while fanning the flames of drama at her MTP (the seeds of which have already been sown) I'll be spitting chips.  

About to put the kettle on and watch Episode 4 now  

Bobette wrote:

olive54321 wrote:Sorry if I missed something. How come you and @Bobette think Aarthi is F1 and not Ellie? Didn't the Australian tabloid report that Luke's final pick was a love at first sight type of thing? Doesn't that fit more with Ellie than Aarthi?

1. First Date Curse.  Ellie got not only the first kiss but also the first date – she's way too visible.  If she was going to end up F1 they'd play it down a bit.  She's also flitted from one Lead to another making her look fickle. She might even go at F3.

2. Australian tabloids reporting "love at first sight" is more than likely a red herring. Most media are dumb and will print anything Channel 10 leaks to them, and SD has already been wrong about several things this season (the Lead, for a start)

3. Aarthi is getting the typical F1 edit.  Featured in episode 1 describing herself as "romantic", with Luke saying the same thing. Short chat on the couch but not enough to stand out. Constant zooming on her as others get roses from Luke at the RCs.

4. Attraction established after invitation to Bach Pad.   Small cute asides shown between them e.g. at the Tennis.  And from what @Dirty Street Pie says, she gets the second single date in Episode 4.  That alone used to be enough to call the winner.

Now watch me be completely wrong  

@Dirty Street Pie We are on the same page.  If Luke doesn't pick Aarthi and just dragged her to the FRC for TPTB to get some "diversity points" while fanning the flames of drama at her MTP (the seeds of which have already been sown) I'll be spitting chips.  

About to put the kettle on and watch Episode 4 now  

Thank you for the detailed response. The reason I ask is because in his ITMs done after the fact, he seems still so enthusiastic about Ellie and she seems subdued about Ben. It made me think she was potentially F1 and was trying not to hurt Luke in her ITMs. It will be interesting to see play out for sure.

@olive54321 You could be totally right.  It certainly wouldn't be the first time a Lead picked someone I thought was a terrible match for them

Here are the stats from previous seasons;

Season 1 - First date = Sarah, F1 = Anna (second single date)
Season 2 - First date = Jessica, F1 = Sam (fourth single date)
Season 3 - First date = Sarah, F1 = Snezana (second single date)
Season 4 - First date = Nikki, F1 = Alex (fourth single date)
Season 5 - First date = Elora, F1 = Laura (second single date)
Season 6 - First date = Shannon, F1 = None (but Britt H got second single date)
Season 7 - First date = Sogand, F1 = Chelsie (fourth single date)
Season 8 - First date = Bella, F1 = Irena (second single date)
Season 9 - First date = Brooke, F1 = Holly (third single date)

There is a clear pattern there IMO, hence our use of the term First Date Curse  

Last season screwed things up a bit with Leah getting a first date and then going on to be one of the F1s, but I'd argue she was never intended to be F1 and was originally cast as the clinger/F2.  

IMO she only got bumped up to F1 because Thomas is a fool who couldn't get past Kiki being a mum.  Kiki was 100% cast as his wifey, IMO, and it was she who got Thomas' second single date.

Anyhoo, nerd session over, back to this season I go...

Episode 4, brought to you by the Victorian Tourism Commission

Lisa makes the previous 10 seasons of villains look like amateurs and I'm into it.  From now I vote all villains must look like Russian double agents from a mid-70s Bond film.  None of this tinkering round the edges with veiled passive-aggressive insults, she's a genuine Eastern Block B*tch.




Ben's date with Amelia

"I've chosen Amelia to come on today's date because she has a certain look about her" says Ben.  That she does, Ben.  He then qualifies this by saying he thinks she's "shy" and that intrigues him. Hmmmm.... so "shy" she draws attention to herself by looking like a real life sex doll?  OK.



Ben mentions his ex-GF for the second time in as many dates.  A few unresolved issues there IMO.  He kisses Amelia with one hand on his wine glass and the other barely touching her.  File under "nothing but eye candy for the guys being forced to watch this show with their partners".




Wes' date with Brea

Why.  Why why why.  Why are they surfing in the middle of a Melbourne winter, at night.  I'm surprised they didn't need an icebreaker.  Everything about this date is uncomfortable.  Brea says her interest in Wes has been "growing" and I'm just not buying it.  Hurry up and switch to Luke.



Brea asks Wes what he feels comfortable doing with a partner if he doesn't have sex?  He says he enjoys brunch. These two could not be less on the same page.  They are not even in the same book.  Nor even the same library.  They kiss and it's excruciatingly awkward.  Please make it stop.




Luke's date with Aarthi

Luke says Aarthi is looking "Mickey Mouse", which I assume is rhyming slang for "grouse"  He also references their "strong, instant connection".  So the media reporting could just as easily be interpreted as referring to Aarthi as Ellie (TPTB just want people to assume it's Ellie, IMO).



After the theatre they eat kebabs on the steps of parliament, as you do.  They discuss past relationships and how many children they want and it's all going very smoothly.  Definitely need some obstacles to pop up soon if she's F1.  The kiss is tame but she's still the frontrunner in my book.




OK now just HOLD UP a minute.  This "girls mansion" business is just not adding up.  I've come to the conclusion they shot at two different locations.  Once again they showed a shot of the window from the Middle Crescent property at the start of the episode, and now this:


Exhibit A: Exterior shot of "girls mansion"




Exhibit B: Interior shot of boys allegedly arriving at "girls mansion".  Look at those doorways.  They don't match!




Exhibit C: The entrance at 43 Middle Crescent.  Check out the stained glass around the door.  It's an exact match.



Source

This is inconsequential of course and probably of no interest to anyone but me but I had to set the record straight. 

Back to the episode.  I'm skipping the bit about Maddison throwing Brea under the bus because manufactured dRaMa bores me.


Rose Ceremony

Wes - Nella, Lisa, Natalie, Brea
Luke - Lana, Ellie, Mel,
Ben - Anastasia, McKenna, Angela, Maddison

Dana leaves.




Lisa's icy stare could pierce steel.




Bring on Episode 5.


Source: Tenplay Episode 4

@bobette thank you for sharing. That is very convincing indeed!

Thanks for the recap commentary and s/caps! Good read.

@Bobette good catch on the mansion!

Episode 5

Really?  Already?  They're racing through these episodes.  I guess they want it wrapped up before Xmas.  Anyway, they open by taunting me once again with the exterior mansion shots so I've found the house, just to prove it doesn't match the interior shots.  Yes I really am that pedantic



Source: Tenplay



Source



Source

Moving on.  For some unexplained reason, Brea, Evie, McKenna and Ellie are allegedly sitting in the garden of "Ben's pad". What?  No they're not.  That isn't Ben's pad.  Ben's Pad is a terrace house with no front garden; we literally saw it last episode. And also, WHY would they even be there?!  

Last episode:




This episode:





This show is so dumb sometimes.  

Luke rocks up at the girls-mansion-which-is-not-the-girls-mansion and the camera zooms so quickly up to Aarthi I'm surprised the lens didn't whack her in the forehead.  He's there to cheer up Brea. So the girls are NOT at Ben's pad, they're in their own back yard. Chalk up another editing fail.






Wes' date with Nella

Wes takes Nella on a road trip. I was going to say what a cheap date but considering the price of petrol it probably cost a bomb  Nella seems a good match for Wes but he's umming and ahhing. Come ON man! It's clear why he's been single so long. Waiting for the "perfect" partner is a fool's game.





Luke's Date with Lana

Lana is funnier than I expected.  They talk about her daughter and his love for his step dad and how he would feel special if he could be that person to a child.  TAKE NOTE, Thomas.  THIS is how you approach a relationship with a single mother.  Luke is clearly far more mature despite his younger age.





Ben's date with Angela

Ben takes Angela to an art gallery so of course he has to wear a black skivvy. It's the rules.  This is a good date idea and Ben seems a lot more comfortable in this environment with something to talk about and no awkward pauses.  Angela will be one of his final 2 but he's not that into her, IMO.





Group Date: Thermal Springs

The place is deserted because, again, it's the middle of a Victorian winter.  One look at Luke suggests exactly how warm this "thermal pool" actually is. Wes takes Jade aside to talk about kids. He wants five, "one born overseas".  This is his problem IMO - too much planning, not enough DOING.





Luke pulls Ellie aside and lays one on her even though the other girls - including Aarthi - are close by.  Hmmm.  He does seem super keen.  Later, he spots Ellie hugging Ben and gets jealous.  That has a strong whiff of F1 obstacle about it.  Maybe all my statistics are going to come to nought.  




Suddenly up rocks Lisa.  I find her very entertaining.  At first I was waiting to hear a crack in her accept but nope she really does talk like that, and it makes everything she does and says seem so ridiculous she's like a cartoon villain  Wes says her visit is "bold" but his body language says "HELP!"




Wes says he's spent his life imagining his future wife and this has led him to become "stuck" and "picky".  Well yes I just said exactly the same - glad you are at least aware of it.  Lisa says she thinks she can take his virginity and TBH I think that would be an excellent idea just to slap him out of it


Rose Ceremony

Wes - Jade, Natalie, Brea, Lisa
Luke - Tabitha, Aarthi, Ellie
Ben - Evie, Caitlyn

Ellie called last for the dramaz. Mel diva-struts her way out of the mansion as we get a preview of next episode.  Second dates for Ellie, Jade and Amelia. Luke says his date feels like something you'd do "as husband and wife".  It still just seems all way too OTT to me.  Time (or Sportsbet) will tell.




Source: Tenplay Episode 5

@Bobette hilarious!

How does Lisa talk?

@Bobette Thanks so much for the recaps. I can't keep up with how quickly they are popping them out. I am going to have to binge watch on the weekend.

just binge watched on shv, thanks for the link @Bobette!

not ready to lock in f1 yet, but i think ellie & aarthi are luke's f2, amelia & angela are ben's f2, and jade is one of wes' f2, but i wouldn't even know who to put as his other one. not at all surprised at the spoiler that he's already broken up with his f1, it's pretty awkward to watch all the women fight for luke and ben.