Tag Archives: Ernesto Arguello

Ready for Love Recap (…and oh yeah – it’s cancelled as of next week!)

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I’m doing a really quick recap of Ready for Love because I’ve gotten so many hits on these blogs. I didn’t want to leave people hanging, even it looks like the series will. Next Tuesday it’ll be replaced by Grimm, possibly my favorite scripted show along with Once Upon a Time on ABC. So, I’m a little sad because I’d like to have finished what I started, I love Grimm and Bachelorette will be starting soon enough! ***I do plan on blogging all of Des’ season so bookmark the blog to find your way back May 27!

Tim
Nominated: Christina, Hailey and Taonaya

Christina is the one saved right away. Hailey and Taonaya go to the garden.
Hailey’s nominated because apparently she can’t stop with the bodily fluid references and Amber has a huge problem with it. Hailey’s getting fed up and I’m kind of on her side. Who cares? Tim’s into her and he doesn’t.

Hailey comes up and Taonaya says she’d rather know now and is glad she took a risk.

Ernesto

First off Olivia decides she wants to leave because she feels attacked by the girls and Tracy feels like if she’s really not ready she should go. Ernesto seems surprised and a little sad, but as he says – you can’t force love.

Nominated: Mandi, Erica (again), Katie

Mandi didn’t take Matt’s advice to get touchy feely, so she’s nominated. Erica was nominated again, and deservedly so after being rude to his sister on the fashion show date. Katie was nominated and I’m not sure why since Tracy said she did great in her one on one.

He saves Mandi first and takes Erica and Katie to the garden. He mentions his doubts with Erica started last week and were compounded by her actions with his sister. He tells Katie she’s so sweet but he might be missing chemistry with her…but he also says he trusts the matchmakers.

Erica comes up and Katie goes home because something was missing. Erica’s eyes pop out of her head…too funny.

Ben

Kari drama: Ben started kissing girls and Kari asks him not to be a lip slut…he’s not sure of her motives and feels slightly manipulated but he’s willing to give her time to figure it out. Later – Amber wants to talk to Kari alone. She’s pretty nice and despite the previews the coaches really don’t give her that hard of a time.

*Side note: He is a lip slut – he’s kissed EVERYBODY and their mother.

Nominated: Tarryn, Beth, Katie

Tarryn is nominated because Amber thought her relationship with ben kind of stalled. Matt wants Beth to bring out the outrageous side of her personality. Tracy picks Katie because she still hasn’t moved out of the mom zone.

He saves Tarryn first and takes Katie and Beth to the garden. He gets excited about both of these girls. Katie makes him smile. He feels like Beth could be his counterpart.

He sends Katie home and Beth comes up from the garden.

I’m sad this is canceled. I want to know who Ben proposes to – hope there’s a way to see the end or that NBC releases the results.

Ready For Love: Week two introduces Ben!

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Attention: Ready for Love has been canceled and will be replaced by Grimm starting April 30.

Part Two: Ben Patton

Thirty-one year old Ben Patton from Dallas is the final bachelor who is ready for love. He comes from a family of doctors but spent time on Wall Street and managed funds for the royal family of Dubai. Today he works in healthcare as the CEO of a hospital. For all purposes he seems to be quite a catch. Add to that the emotional pull that a viewer is sure to feel when he mentions his parent’s divorce when he was seven and how being a good dad is important to him, there are sure to be hearts broken at the end of this experience. He’s sweet and family oriented but, truth be told, a little goofy.

Matchmaker Amber thinks Ben needs a level of sophistication from a partner so she picks Lynsee Gonzales from Portland, Tarryn Franco from San Francisco, Seneca Berniard from LA, and Kari Krakowski, Ben’s ex-girlfriend from Texas, with whom he apparently had an “explosive break-up”. However Amber believes they have both evolved and deserve a second chance.

Ben keeps Lynsee who talks of traveling and being an international model, but also mention her biology degree. He also keeps Tarryn, a confident, successful woman who works for private jet comapany. His final pick is the old girlfriend Kari who says he was the one that got away. Too bad he let Seneca go. With an MBA and a JD she was pretty impressive, but she should have known not to give them a couple name or to say her age (34). In the long run, I think he’ll be sad he let her go and kept the ex that said she couldn’t stand watching every girl in a America sees what kind of guy he was.

Tracy thinks Ben doesn’t need a “wonderwoman”. She thinks he needs his vulnerable 12 year-old boy self to meet someone he connects with. She chooses Angela Zatopek, a communications executive from Houston who is saving herself for marriage, and Katie Coyle from Iowa who’s been married before and wants the fairytale. She has two kids but isn’t looking for a father, but a role model for them. He keeps them both! Tracy’s other two choices are Renae Verata from Houston, a Texan with a tomboy spirit who gave a little extra by stripping down to her slip and Kristina Zapata from Columbia who spoke of her passion and love of family. He keeps Renae, but should have kept Kristina.

Matchmaker Matt picks women that he thinks fit Ben’s needs not wants. Possibly a dangerous strategy, but Beth Richman from Charlotte, NC (his first choice) is adorable and tells him she quit her job just to take a chance on him. According to Matt, Rachel Briese from Illinois has a geeky, nerdy side that Matt has too. Her superhero outfit and personality created just for him win him over. The final decision is between Jade Dhir from Austin who made a save the date card for their wedding (ahhhhh – seriously?) and Allie Wagner from Ohio who challenges him to a lightning round of questions to which he answers, yes, yes, yes. He obviously picks Allie, whose twin is dating Ernesto!

The Group Date:
Ben says he’s an active guy and he wants someone comfortable getting sweaty around him. They’re doing a mud run, an obstacle course where they all get covered with dirt. Everyone does well and they head to lunch. He does mention how awkward it is to have his ex on the date and some of the girls talk about Kari like she’s not there. The first girl he asks to talk to is Renae because she “killed” the course. He calls her hot and wonders why she’s still single? They have decent chemistry.

He continues to talk to the girls one on one, but when Angela’s explaining her vulnerability advice from Tracy, he’s distracted by Kari who is “waiting” off to the side. He doesn’t like feeling like he needs to go to her (which is exactly what Amber told her not to do!). They talk and he says he was so hurt that she called things off. She says it was important for her to be there and if he’s into her she wants him to express it, if not let her go. They hug as the girls watch. He’s having a hard time because he has good memories and would like to go back – he’s scared of her hurting him again.

The Matchmaker’s Choices
Tracy picks Katie because she thinks they’ll like each other.
Matt picks Rachel He’s happy because he felt she was holding back.
Amber picks Tarryn because she’s excited to tell her story.

He’s happy with the matchmaker’s choice because wants to talk more with Katie. He wants to be with someone who takes motherhood seriously. They have a nice chemistry and he gives her a peck kiss. Katie feels she has to let him know soon though that she’s not “his” mother!

Rachel is different from the other girls. He connects with her sic-fi/fantasy side and likes that she’s interested in the same things he is. He feels like emotionally they’ve connected quickly and he kisses her for real! They both feel something.

It’s Tarryn’s birthday and he brings her a cake which they eat together. He asks again, how are you still single? She mentions she’s goal oriented and driven. He says he’s not intimidated and mentions the chemistry building between them. She asks him to kiss her, he says he’d love to, and it’s a whopper of a kiss.

The Matchmaker’s Critiques and Advice:
While the guys are in the man cave and can’t listen. Matt asks Rachel how she thinks she did. She says well. She feels they connected on an emotional level and there might have been a kiss. Matt asks how far she stepped out of her comfort zone. She says 110% but he doesn’t agree. He calls her a people pleaser and asks her to give more. Amber thinks Tarryn did well, and Tarryn says the birthday cake was her highlight and she doesn’t kiss and tell even with Amber’s prodding. Tracy says Angela didn’t follow through on actually being vulnerable, she just talked about being vulnerable.

Amber addresses Kari and gets on her for breaking down and crying because now Ben is confused and doesn’t feel free. Matt says the hug was for the other girls and Kari gets very defensive. Giuliana asks for an experiment. She asks Kari to close her eyes and for the girls to hold up their hands if they thought the hug was for them. All of them raise their hands and Kari opens her eyes to look. I’m not liking this girl’s entitled attitude! Katie questions Kari’s intentions and Kari turns it around on her. Amber breaks in and reminds the girls that she’s been a matchmaker for 17 years and she chose Kari and believes her heart is in the right place.

Elimination Picks:
Amber chooses Kari so they can have an answer as to whether or not he wants her there.
Matt chooses Rachel because he thinks she’s not a big enough puzzle for Ben in the long run, but he thinks she’ll be back.
Tracy picks Angela to make her vulnerable, to which Angela say OK in the hard, so not vulnerable voice that seems normal for her.

When Ben can save just one, he keeps Angela. This means either Rachel or Kari is going home. This is actually surprising because I thought he would keep Kari and Rachel. They head down to the garden in the pods and we get flashbacks of them both. Ben says he didn’t expect to have them there. Rachel tells him she felt a real chemistry and would never judge him. Kari doesn’t want him to feel pressured. She’s there to participate and wants to be known for the girl she is now. Ben pulls Kari aside and says they need to talk. He is pissed about their break up. He asks her to not make him break Rachel’s heart if she’s not there for the right reasons and can’t let him get to know the other girls.

He sends Rachel home because it’s just not there for him. Rachel says maybe she shouldn’t be so nice, but she’s not going to change who she is. She’s heartbroken and disappointed. To be honest, so am I. Kari might be good TV, but we’ve all seen relationships like theirs before…toxic stuff.

Ready for Love: Week two introduces Ernesto!

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Part One: Ernesto Arguello

First off, let me say I didn’t expect to fall for Ernesto Arguello, a Texan of Cuban and Nicaraguan descent who lives in Miama, as hard as I did while watching episode two. I kept thinking what an awesome Bachelor he would have made (Sorry NBC!). The man is philanthropic (He and his brother build houses for people in third world countries), handsome (even with a farmer’s tan), and charismatic. His sister and mother talk about him like he’s a god and describe him as loyal, AND he’s never said I love you to a woman. That last part could be a red flag, but watching him with his family and the ladies on their date, it seems like it’s more about his need to find someone real and sincere, as well as beautiful.

The matchmakers (Amber, Matthew, and Tracy) did well picking women that he would mesh with and the only girl I was sad to see go in the initial round was Elizabeth Cappella. The overall favorite seemed to be Alba Reyes (former Ms. Puerto Rica 2004) who broke out her Spanish and won him over. One girl he sent home actually brought a frog. They really speeded through the first round this time. I almost think they don’t need it.

The group date was building a house which was actually a lot more interesting than last episode’s concert and singing challenge with Tim Lopez. The girls were assigned various tasks and it was pretty easy to pick out a few he had chemistry with. He has some cute moments with some of the girls like when he was painting on Kristen Sikorski but the clip that stood out the most for me was the one with Shandi Finnessy and Alba. I think they both may go far!

The next step involved the matchmakers choosing one of their women for Ernesto to get one on one time with. Amber chooses Shandi (former Ms. USA 2004), Matt picks Mandy Wagner(whose twin Allie also makes it out of the first round with bachelor Ben), and Tracy picks Victoria Mora, a fiery, competitive chica who didn’t come off as well as she might have on the group date.

Of course, there is a hot tub waiting for Ernie (as his sister called him) and the three women – it’s a dating show. However, Victoria throws a curve ball when she refuses to disrobe saying she’s not comfortable with that. Ernesto says he respects that and she stays in her big white robe and throws attitude. After a while, he asks Shandi to jacuzzi where they discuss their mutual love of kids, the sacredness of wedding vows, and their faith. Looks like another notch in Shandi’s belt.

Matt’s advice to Mandi is to physically create a moment to remember. She does this by getting in the cold pool and then asking Ernesto for body heat. After this ploy they switch to hot tub where he tells her likes her attitude and feels they’re on the same page.

His time with Victoria doesn’t go well, although I don’t think she noticed. He told her he likes her confidence and attitude but that he feels she’s uncomfortable. She discusses boobs and butts hanging out (amazing the matchmakers don’t point this out considering the flack they gave Hailey for saying fart!). He again says “I respect that” as she continues to complain about the other girls.

As the one on one time ends he says he has concerns for the matchmakers!

In the group review the Matchmakers like that Shandi didn’t bring house drama to date and that Mandy took Matt’s advice, but Tracy gives Victoria heck for not holding back on her competitiveness and being self-centered. The matchmakers have a little conflict regarding Victoria’s refusal to disrobe and airing her feelings of awkwardness. Matthew says her behavior labeled her as “drama queen for life” in Ernesto’s mind.

They also bring up the conflict between Shandi and Olivia Matti, which we’re sure to see more of in the future. Shandi has the maturity edge and Tracy says a woman that can’t get along with other women will make a rotten partner.

For Elimination:
Tracy picks Victoria for all the reasons listed above.
Amber picks Erica for not bringing out her voice as she asked.
Matt picks Kristen because he sees a brother/sister vibe and he wants to see her get sexier.

Ernesto is diplomatic and loves everyone but likes the fun side and optimism of Kristen so she’s safe.

Erica and Victoria go to the pods to go the garden with Ernesto. We are dramatically reminded that only one will come back up while Ernesto does the sign of the cross on the way down! Ernesto is grateful they came and he admits to not knowing much about Erica. He tells Victoria that he admired her beliefs. She aks for his understanding because she was adjusting to the process and the women.

Theirs an awful moment when Erica says Victoria’s not there for the right reason and I seriously wish that he would send them both home at this point! He keeps Erica – not a shocker. Victoria looks like she could kill Erica! Like, she’s seriously scary. But she says it’s just not her, meaning the show.

Part Two: Bachelor Ben – coming soon!

NBC’s “Ready for Love” – To watch or not to watch?

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As nine o’clock Tuesday evening approaches, I’m faced with the choice of staying up after The Voice to watch Ready for Love or turning in early for some usually much needed shut eye. After watching episode one, I think I’m ready to give it a second look. I like the twist NBC decided to put on their new foray into the reality dating business. Using professional matchmakers to pick the women the men can choose from gives it a fresh feel, and the matchmakers themselves (Amber Kelleher-Andrews, Tracy McMillan, and Matthew Hussey) have loads of charisma. Bill and Giuliana Rancic, a happily married couple with reality TV cred, host the show that will feature three bachelors looking for love.

Tuesday night we met Tim Lopez, lead singer from the Plain White Tees (think “Hey There Delilah”), whose divorce from his high school sweetheart over her inability to deal with his music career has left him heartbroken but ready to love again. I’ll admit, from the previews I thought we’d meet all three bachelors that night, but they seem to be alternating hotties.

Each matchmaker picked four girls for Tim to choose from in a blind audition a`la The Voice.

Amber Kelleher-Andrews, a gorgeous and highly successful matchmaker who they showed with her perfect husband and children on horseback, seemed to pick the most real girls, especially Hailey Clark, a 31 year-old elementary school art teacher from Florida who caught Tim’s attention by quoting Dumb and Dumber. I was surprised he kept Siham Bengoua, but she won him over with her french accent and poetry. He also kept 30 year-old Sara Lavagnino. Sara won him over with her sincere and touching revelation that she had lost her fiance of three years to skin cancer. Tim connected with her sense of loss and we were on to round two with another four girls chosen by Matthew Hussey.

The three girls Tim kept from Matthew’s group included the surprise contestant, Leah Trogan, a 27 year-old make-up artist who had a “past” with Tim. At this point it seemed like maybe they had hooked up before, but she sold her story as an “I’ve never told him how I really feel” type story and he decided to keep her so… His other choices, 27 year-old Danielle Duff (divorced after nine and a half years of marriage – say whaaaat???) and 31-year-old Taonaya Fleury weren’t all that memorable.

Tracy McMillan might be my favorite matchmaker for her simple, brash style. She made some great picks, and Sarah Moore, a 28 year-old graduate student from North Carolina, could be a sleeper contender. She was joined by 25 year-old Christina Rigaud of New Orleans. A classically trained pianist, she’s also breathtakingly sexy with eyes that most women would die for. Tim’s final pick to round out his nine ladies was the cute, fun-loving, 23 year-old Jenna Reeves from Austen, Texas.

Next up: Date Night

Of course it wouldn’t be reality love without a group date, and Tim’s starts out just the way a rock star’s group date should. The nine ladies are treated to a performance from The Plain White Tees. After they are sufficiently dazed by his semi-celebrity, he has them show off some of their musical skills by creating and singing some lyrics. I have to say I didn’t really enjoy this segment. It was too polished. Most of the girls voices were better than average, and when they all just happened to hear Leah’s (previous hook-up girl) conversation with Tim because a mike was left on? Well, we got staged drama at its best.

Later each matchmaker chose someone for Tim to have one on one time with. Then, on the show, the girls are critiqued on their dating skills. My favorite as of now, Hailey Clark, went first. Hailey and Tim seemed to have genuine chemistry and their banter was so fun to watch. Matchmaker Amber later critiqued the fact that Hailey answered the dreaded “What’s your most embarrassing moment?” question in a way that included the word fart. Apparently you are never, ever supposed to use this word in front of a man. I don’t know what Amber was watching, but Tim loved Hailey’s honesty and humor.

Matthew sent him off with Danielle Duff who proceeded to let him know she had a “list” of 50 qualities she was looking for in a mate. She also mentioned she’d put the list out into the universe. She was appropriately critiqued regarding making Tim feel inadequate. If he has 25 of the qualities (which she said he did) then that meant he started out in the hole! Don’t look for Danielle to stick around long; their chemistry was less than sparkling.

Matchmaker Tracy chose the sexy Christian Rigaud for one on one time with Tim and she made her time count! Bonding over music, she worked her eyes to the best of her ability and it was obvious he fell for it. She’s not going anywhere soon.

The Final Act
To close the show, each matchmaker had to put up one of their three women and Tim had to send one girl home. Amber put up Hailey for the “fart” debacle. Matthew chose Leah (who didn’t answer when asked point blank by host Giuliana Rancic if she’d been intimate with Tim before) to see if Tim was serious about giving her a chance. Tracy picked Sarah Moore, the quiet, dark-haired girl who had apparently been too nice in defending Leah to the other girls. Again, the matchmakers think you have to be cut-throat to get a man.

To almost no one’s surprise, Tim sent Leah packing and kept Hailey and Sarah.

In short: Good, if slightly crazy and out of touch matchmakers, hot bachelors, and some really good women who actually have chemistry with Tim! I’ll be back.

http://www.nbc.com/ready-for-love/contestants/