Editor's Note: Season six Bachelorette and current host of NBC's 1st Look Ali Fedotowsky is blogging exclusively on E! Online about NBC's new reality series Ready for Love. Check back every week for her insider's take on the most recent episode.
We met Ernesto and Ben for the first time last night, so let's talk about these cuties and their ladies...
I love that Ernesto is a philanthropist. That's the mark of a good person. Very genuine. Crazy that he's never used the "L word" in any of his past relationships! I'll bet he's heard it a few times, though!
Was anyone surprised that he picked Alba and Shandy?! My guess is no. I mean, they're both literally beauty queens! It kinda felt like cheating to me. Isn't the point that he chooses without knowing that they are good-looking? Regardless of his picks, Ernesto had a bunch of extremely beautiful women. Lucky guy.
I love that the group date had a charity component. I've been there, and I can say that group dates are super weird. Throwing a bunch of girls together on a date with one man is a recipe for disaster. It's such a great idea to balance that negative, awkward energy with something so positive. That certainly doesn't mean that the girls behaved themselves, though—the claws still came out. I get a bad vibe from Olivia. Forget love, she's ready for a brawl! Come on…you're there for charity; pull it together! I agree with matchmaker Amber that Shandi handled it really well. She didn't involve Ernie (I wanna call him Ernie!) in the drama, and that is a very good thing.
Shandi was the first girl picked to spend one-on-one time with him, and I thought she was a bit too methodical. This is such a great opportunity to really be yourself and let him get to know you. Mandy did a great job at this. She was flirty and relaxed. Giving a guy a half-naked hug isn't really my style on a first date, but it's a heck of a way to leave a good impression! What can I even say about Victoria? I'm so glad he sent her home. Not only is she not the right girl for him, she's just way too uptight to sign up for this show. She was the obvious choice for elimination. Good job, Ernie!
Let's move on to Ben…first off, I was really disappointed that he said goodbye to Seneca! I was already on Team Seneben! I love a good power couple.
The real story here is Kari, his ex. I immediately had a bad feeling about this. I know that Amber the matchmaker is a professional, and she wouldn't bring Kari into this if she didn't think she was there for the right reasons, but I just don't get that vibe. She lives a mile away from him! Why in the world did she wait for a television show to pursue him?? It seems like she just wants to be on TV. And the big thing that stuck out to me was when she said, "I could not stand the thought of watching this go on and I wasn't a part of it." She should've said something like "I love you and can't imagine you spending your life with anyone but me." She's here for the wrong reasons and it's sad, because Ben clearly cares for her. He had an opportunity to send her home and he didn't.
Like I said earlier, group dates are awkward! Kari managed to make this one even more awkward…for everyone! Ben had an ex watching his every move, while he's supposed to be getting to know these great girls. The girls all felt overshadowed by someone Ben has history with, and while I'm not a fan, I admit that it had to be torturous for Kari as well. Can you imagine seeing your ex on a date with eight other women? While I don't think she should be there, it has to be a heartbreaking thing to experience.
I was genuinely shocked when Ben sent Rachel home. I was a fan of hers from the beginning! She had me at "superhero." Having Kari around will make this more of a competition. Those girls (and Ben) will constantly have her in mind. I'll be so upset if she ends up ruining this amazing experience for him. But…I could be wrong. Maybe she's the one. We'll see. Now that we've met the three guys and all of the girls, I'm excited to see where this goes. The show has been a whirlwind so far and I really feel like it's gonna get even better once we get to know everyone!
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Until next week…
Ali
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