Ben Higgins

#EntertainmentPSB: “The Bachelor” Episode Eight – February 29, 2016

The “Hometown Dates” episode is always my favorite because everyone in the family always has a token crazy person. Unfortunately, this season there were a lot of normal (boring) families on their best behavior. That’s with sole exception of JoJo’s mom but we will get into that later.

By: Taylor Johnson @KTaylorPSB with commentary from Brandon Clay @psbpopculture

TAYLOR: Amanda has the first hometown date in Laguna Beach, Calif., where Ben meets Amanda’s ADORABLE little girls. Even Amanda’s little girls are outfit goals in their mini gladiator sandals. The girls spend the day with Ben at the beach followed by a crying toddler filled car ride to meet the rest of her family later in the night. Amanda’s family has real concerns about Ben being too young to take on the stepdad role. Most of the date was centered around crying toddlers so interaction between Amanda and Ben was few and far between.

CLAY: I could tell Ben thought the kids were adorable (I did too). In a normal setting, maybe Ben would stick around to see how it plays out. In this setting, he has three other extremely attractive women who don’t have ready-made families. I don’t see how this can work.

TAYLOR: Ben visits Portland, Ore., to see Lauren B. where she immediately tells America how in love with Ben she is. Lauren’s build up to Ben meeting her family makes me excited, and Ben concerned for the drama ahead. Lauren’s sister grills Ben the most and honestly I think he is a little distracted because she’s so gorgeous so he just awkwardly cries. Again, I’m a diva so a guy crying makes me so uncomfortable. While other girls would think this is sweet, I just cringe.

CLAY: Oh Taylor. Let Ben have his moment. Though Lauren’s sister is attractive, Ben is very into Lauren. That’s been evident since the opening episode and was on display again here. That said, I would cry real tears (of joy) in a room with her grilling me as I envision an all-expenses paid overseas trip with Lauren hanging in the balance.

TAYLOR: Caila is next up on the hometown dates and her turtleneck vest combo is just as confusing as her comments about her and Ben’s relationship. Her dad is the CEO of a toy company so now we know why Caila reminds us of a giggly 13-year-old. Caila’s mom told Caila to tell Ben that she loved him but Caila ignores her mom like every other 13-year-old girl. Ben leaves her hometown without knowing how Caila feels but knowing all things Pilipino thanks to Caila’s mom.

CLAY: Caila’s vibe in relation to the women left reminds me of Emily who Ben sent home. Caila is still maturing as a person. I would be surprised if she makes it to the final two.

TAYLOR: JoJo’s hometown date was a lot less boring than the other three. Her ex boyfriend, Chad, sends her a dozen roses confessing his love for her. She awkwardly calls Chad right before Ben shows up so she is in tears when he arrives. Naturally seems like a great time for JoJo to tell Ben that she loves him, with tears still in her eyes from her Chad phone call. The only questions I have about JoJo’s ex is if he is the one who bought her that Cartier bracelet that I cannot stop obsessing over. She takes Ben to meet her family and immediately JoJo’s brothers play the role that the producers told them too: crazy, overprotective, jerk. The have to tell her how crazy she is to be in love with someone who she has been on two dates with, and no one is arguing with them. At least someone is speaking the truth because the mom has zero concept of how the show works, partly because she has been drinking wine straight from the bottle all night. JoJo had to tell her that Ben had three other girlfriends at the moment so why not continue to chug?

CLAY: The whole date was excessive. Her brothers made me uncomfortable and I’m not in the mix to date JoJo. I like her though and see her as the main competition to Lauren right now.

TAYLOR: Sadly, Amanda goes home and America yells at their TVs because Ben is a terrible person. Amanda isn’t even ugly when she cries during an exit, but Ben kind of is and he can barely keep it together when she leaves.

CLAY: We all saw this coming. Amanda appears to be a chill, well put together human being. She’ll bounce back and hopefully find an amazing guy to build a life with.

TAYLOR: Next week we get to watch Ben tell two girls he loves him in hopes of them being down for some kind of sister / wife situation. I cannot wait for that drama.

CLAY: Me either. From Lauren’s brothers getting Ben at the end of the episode about the “Fantasy Suite” to the red dress JoJo slayed at the rose ceremony tonight, next week should be even more entertaining.

Taylor Johnson serves as Brandon Clay’s personal stylist and is one of the most fashionable people in Atlanta. She’s also the resident expert on Hulu and Netflix. While attending graduate school at Georgia State, she’ll contribute to various categories throughout the PSBPopCulture.com site. You can follow her on Twitter @KTaylorPSB.

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#EntertainmentPSB: “The Bachelor” Episode Seven – February 18, 2016

By: Taylor Johnson @KTaylorPSB with commentary from Brandon Clay @psbpopculture

TAYLOR: Ben takes the girls back to his hometown in Warsaw, Ind. There is definitely a small town feel to the episode. As an aside, I don’t think Jubilee would have blended in well here at all. Ben is eager to tell his parents all about his six girlfriends, which isn’t weird at all (tongue firmly in cheek). Ben takes the girls by pontoon boat (lame) to the house that they are going to stay in while they are in Indiana. The boat ride made for some interesting hair and left JoJo’s extensions in plain site. Finally, she has a flaw: poor placement of extensions.

CLAY: Jubilee would not have made it 24 hours in Warsaw. She should be glad she’s back home enjoying life as a war veteran.

TAYLOR: Lauren B. gets the first date and immediately the girls express all of their jealousy similar to Olivia’s time as Ben’s go-to girl. Ben takes Lauren B. on a tour of Warsaw in a cheesy red pick up truck. Talk about the most boring date ever. Their last stop was at the community youth club, so the date only gets more horrible for Lauren. I love kids, but babysitting isn’t a date I dream about. Even Ben knows this date is boring so he brings out reinforcements including NBA All-Star Paul George of the Indiana Pacers. Ben brings up again the fact that the girls said Lauren B. is different around Ben than in the house. Well I certainly hope she isn’t trying to date any of the girls in the house, so maybe that is why she is acting differently.

CLAY: I’m a HUGE basketball fan and actually appreciated that Lauren made a couple of shots. I do think Ben and the producers are painting the picture of her as a potential mom in addition to wife.

TAYLOR: JoJo gets the second one-on-one date to Wrigley Field. It’s where the Chicago Cubs play baseball games. I say this because if someone say Wrigley Field to me, I’d have no idea what they were talking about. JoJo and Ben have the entire field to themselves to play baseball together. Their chemistry is undeniable and I have no doubts in my prediction of her being in the top two but Ben is nervous that JoJo is closed off. I mean you do have five other girlfriends Ben.

CLAY: Jojo won real points with me this week. She’s confident without being arrogant, pretty without coming across as conceited. The “Mrs. Higgins” uniform they made her wear got her to open up on camera about her feelings more so than previous episodes.

TAYLOR: The group date this week was with Becca, Caila and Amanda. All of these girls are gorgeous, but Amanda’s outfit is something that I need in my closet like tomorrow. Becca spent most of her date complaining about how Ben hasn’t reciprocated any feelings like he has for other girls. Not the best move Becca. Amanda gets the group date rose so her and Ben ditch the other two girls to sit there and wallow in self pity. Becca can’t stop crying all the way home, so basically she knows she is going home.

CLAY: For as far as she advanced, I never saw a real chemistry develop between Ben and Becca. She was very guarded (and who can blame her).

TAYLOR: Ben continues his date with Amanda by WORKING THE MCDONALD’S DRIVE-THRU WITH AMANDA. I take back my comments about Lauren’s horrible date. If a man EVER took me to McDonald’s, they would regret it. I mean he recovers by taking her on an adorable Warsaw Fair date but I’d be still be mad about McDonald’s. I guess I’m just a diva.

CLAY: All caps Taylor, really? Haha. Let’s keep it all the way honest here. The McDonald’s placement was great to continue their season-long promotion of breakfast being served all day through “The Bachelor” partnership. This might not be the last we see of the Golden Arches this season.

TAYLOR: Emily went on the last one-on-one date and he took her to meet his parents, which was very surprising. She was asking questions about ducks so it made for an awkward conversation, and even more awkward was when she wouldn’t stop talking. Ben’s mom was not a fan of Emily and without saying it, she said Emily was immature. Ben immediately speeds home in the pontoon after that comment from his mom so he could break up with her. He then proceeds to break up with her while all of the other girls watch from the window. As much as Emily is a bimbo, she took the breakup in the classiest way possible.

CLAY: Emily still has a long way to grow in maturing. Spending time away from her sister and finding a potential career path would help. The time on the show helped I’m sure.

TAYLOR: Ben sent Becca home during the rose ceremony, and she was not happy. I can’t blame her because she has now been rejected on the Bachelor twice. Caila, Amanda, Lauren, and JoJo are all taking Ben home to meet their families which is always a great episode because everyone always has at least one embarrassing family member.

CLAY: She saw it coming though. All the tears, the “please don’t hurt her.” As a guy, that’s not what we want to hear with one girl we are dating let alone six. Hometown dates next week should be really interesting.

Taylor Johnson serves as Brandon Clay’s personal stylist and is one of the most fashionable people in Atlanta. She’s also the resident expert on Hulu and Netflix. While attending graduate school at Georgia State, she’ll contribute to various categories throughout the PSBPopCulture.com site. You can follow her on Twitter @KTaylorPSB.

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#EntertainmentPSB: “The Bachelor” – No. 9 to No. 16 – January 8, 2016

Taylor Johnson will bring us weekly updates from the hit TV series “The Bachelor.” She’ll breakdown fashion from the show and rank the remaining contestants on a weekly.

By: @KTaylorPSB

Ben Higgins, the 26-year-old star of the season, was quite the gentleman Monday night for his premier as the new bachelor for ABC. He greeted 28 women to the bachelor mansion, but I think there were a few women he wished he denied at the front door. This season is not short of any of the usual crazy personalities that The Bachelor producers never fail to entertain us with.

Here is a ranking of No. 9 to No. 16 remaining ladies from my favorite to least favorite:

9) Sam, 26: A recent graduate of law school, Sam rocked a red lace dress out of the limo. I am also obsessed with the two-piece outfit she wore in her intro package. Honestly, I’m just excited for her to stay around to see what outfit she is going to wear next.

10) Joelle “JoJo,” 24: We were introduced to her in a unicorn mask, but surprisingly she isn’t the token weirdo of the season. She tamed down the crazy when she talked to Ben inside the house, so if she keeps the unicorn mask in her suitcase she might move up in the rankings.

11) Tiara, 27: With an occupation like “chicken enthusiast” you are just asking to be labeled as the crazy one of the season. I am personally hoping she brings us as much entertainment as Tierra from Sean Lowe’s season. However, Ben mentioned how gorgeous she was several times so we might be seeing a lot more of her crazy for episodes to come.

12 & 13) Emily & Haley, 22: I don’t think they are competing as a package deal but their occupation is “twins” so they deserve to be lumped together. They are obviously both gorgeous and I can’t hate on them too much because they were rocking my favorite jewelry designer, Kendra Scott, throughout the episode.

14) Jubilee, 24: Her plunging neckline dress and horrible pickup line about her tight dress made it pretty obvious the reason she came on the show.

15) Amber, 30: Basically Amber is Becca’s wing woman. Sorry Amber, no one really remembers you from Chris Soule’s season. And to top it off, Amber’s frumpy dress was definitely the worst of the night.

16) LB, 23: LB reminded me of someone who just walked off an episode of The Hill (maybe it’s her name too).

Taylor Johnson serves as Brandon Clay’s personal stylist and is one of the most fashionable people in Atlanta. While attending graduate school at Georgia State, she’ll contribute to various categories throughout the PSBPopCulture.com site.

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