Episodes 4 & 5

Synopsis

Episode Four

The girls expressed shock and concern over Corinne’s behavior with Nick. Vanessa took a stand on Nick’s behavior with Corinne. Sarah and Taylor confronted Corinne. “You do you, you do you, you go girl,” Corinne said. “You do you. I’m’a do me.”

At the rose ceremony Corinne scratched near her eye for about six seconds, much like Bailey does. Melissa noted the size of Josephine’s lips. “I feel really nervous,” the travel nurse said. “You should,” Melissa said. The travel nurse cried. Corinne obviously got the final rose. “I love the taste of victory,” Corinne said and bit her rose. Nick got rid of the travel nurse who cried again and another one whose name we couldn’t remember. She cried also.

“He’s only keeping the ones he has potential with,” Josephine said. “Not you,” I said even though she’s on our team. I’m just happy she got this far. They went to Milwaukee. Nick met his parents in a coffeeshop. “He’s way taller than his dad,” I observed. “Is that dad-dad or stepdad?” Melissa asked. We weren’t sure. The conversation made it seem like it was dad-dad. Nick’s mom cried. Nick cried also.

Danielle L and Nick made cookies and made out. Then they ran into someone Nick had dated for “three or four months.” It was hard to tell if their conversation was awkward or not. Nick continued his autobiography of his romance history with a trip to a grassy hill where Nick used to make out with girls. Then he made out with Danielle L on the grassy hill. At night Danielle L told Nick her parents were divorced. “Do you see this??” Melissa asked. “Her nip is about to pop out of her dress.” Melissa spent about a minute trying to rewind and pause the video at a moment she claimed the nip was visible. “Are we in seventh grade?” I asked. They went to a concert of a pop country guy who sang a lot of high notes.

Most of the girls went to a farm where Nick was feeding baby cows milk to drink. They tried to milk cows. Nick was bad at it. “It was discouraging,” Jaimi said, then correctly milked. Then they shoveled poop. Kind of like our DFS lineups that night. Corinne gave up. Nick hinted at a future date to Kristina. Corinne grabbed her boobs and made a creamed corn analogy. Vanessa showed Nick a nice book her students had made for her. That sequence reminded me of the Trump/Obama juxtaposition. Kristina dropped a “right reasons” to Corinne. Kristina also added the date rose.

Nick and Raven took a walk to a girls soccer game. It was Nick’s little sister Bella’s game. They tried to be goalies for the girls. They were both bad at being goalies. Nick’s parents were at the game. Bella scored a goal. They went roller skating with Bella. They played arcade games. Then they had dinner at the Milwaukee Art Museum where I once had lunch. Raven told Nick about the time she found out she was being cheated on. She remembered a lot of details. Corinne and Taylor had a long boring conversation which I used as an opportunity to check the WSOP schedule.


Episode Five

Bri & Doug have a fantastic U-shaped couch which allowed them, Andrea, Zack, Melissa, Blaze the dog and myself a comfortable seat with a clear view of the 5th episode of Nick V's turn as The Bachelor. Turbo the dog was unable to find a seat on the couch and walked around the couch in what I interpreted as frustration. Corinne & Taylor had a spat. Corinne dropped a “Right Reasons.” Taylor dropped a “Wrong Reasons.” Andrea, Bri, Zack and Corinne simultaneously swilled wine glasses. Corinne complained about Taylor to Nick. “Corinne is gonna be so amazing on Bachelor in Paradise,” Doug said. “Oh I just want to punch her in the face!” Andrea said and then punched the air.

At the rose ceremony, Danielle M got the couch’s approval. Zack said there was “no chance” Corinne would go home. “Zero,” he clarified after I asked. Corinne did get a rose. Astrid & Sarah did not. They were both on Bri & Doug’s team. They handled the losses well. Sarah did not: she cried.

Turbo finally got on the couch and immediately made out with Andrea. “Cosmo wants to lick me 45 times in a row,” Andrea said. “I counted.” They went to New Orleans (Nick and the ladies, not Andrea & Cosmo). Alexis shook her fake boobs before making a Game of Thrones reference. “Everytime I watch this show it makes me want to lift weights,” Andrea said, then suggested Zack should host the show because he has “the same personality” as Chris Harrison.

Tom gets up to use the bathroom. Melissa steals his computer. Bri wonders how Tom is going to quote everyone when he is in the bathroom. Everyone else makes bets on who will be on the 2 on 1 (Corinne and Taylor – duh!). Doug made popcorn. The conversation quickly turned to president Donald Trump. The couch was not pleased it would have to spend more money on avocadoes, among other reservations.

Nick & Rachel went to a market and ate hot sauce. Then they ate beignets. Andrea was reminded of “the worst coffee of my life” she’d had from Café du Monde. Then they danced in a parade (Nick and Rachel, not Andrea and the worst coffee). Then they danced in a bar. Neil the Ring Guy showed up in a commercial which Doug didn’t fast forward through. Perhaps because he works in the industry he likes commercials. Nick and Rachel went to a garage full of mardi gras floats to have dinner. They both drank beers which some of us found impressive. Nick talked about meeting Rachel’s parents without using “if”. Nick said he might be “breaking rules” but that he was “super into” Rachel. The couch strongly praised Rachel. I hurriedly wrote down as many compliments as I could: 

• “smart”
• “normal temperament”
• “attorney”
• “great arms”
• “flip flops instead of crazy-ass stilettos”

They showed some of the girls without makeup. Danielle L took a moment to recognize. Corinne and Danielle M looked better. “Josephine looks like John Elway,” Zack said. The group date was announced, making it apparent Corinne & Taylor would be going on a 2-on-1 date later. Zack and I bet an upcoming Hungry Toad bill on who would win. I took Taylor, he took Corinne. “Corinne is gonna f***ing go home,” Andrea said confidently. But she turned down Zack’s offer of a $20 bet on it. Zack suggested a dog walk as the stakes. Andrea said that was a man’s job. “I don’t smash the patriarchy in that regard,” she said. Within seconds Zack had been identified as “The King of White Male Privilege” before the term was extended to Doug and me. Then the couch heaped praise on the leadership and looks of Justin Trudeau.

The big group date was at a haunted house. They pulled out a Ouija board which Doug called a “woojee” board. I checked DFS. Zack Randolph got off to a slow start. Zack Sanders called Whitney “the poor man’s Vanessa.” Danielle M and Vanessa bonded. Nick tickled Danielle M. Raven told Nick about the moment she “fell in love” with him. It wasn’t enough to get the rose. Danielle M got it.

Corinne & Taylor went on two-on-one date in a swamp. A large man in a black tank-top drove the boat. Doug made a Deliverance joke. They met up with voodoo people including a priestess who brought them to a tarot card reader. Corinne called Taylor a “big mean swamp monster.” Nick started a serious conversation with Taylor. “I can taste that Boddington’s now,” Zack said in reference to the Hungry Toad bet. I usually get a Speckled Hen and Zack usually gets a Boddington's. The tarot card reader asked Corinne if she had any questions. “How do you make a voodoo doll specific to a person?” Corinne asked. Taylor said Nick’s relationship with Corinne would be built on “like, whipped cream and lies.” “#whippedcream&lies” Zack said. Corinne won the two-on-one date. Taylor got rubbed with oil by the voodoo people. Corinne aggressively made fun of Taylor to a rose. “She’s turning into a Trump,” Bri said. The show ended with Taylor dramatically interrupting Corinne & Nick at dinner.

Standings

Julia & Paul - 32
Raven - 9
Jasmine - 7
Whitney - 6
Jaimi - 7
+3 last team standing bonus
Big turn of events here. The defending champs have surged to the lead on the wings of Raven and a solid supporting cast. However, Raven is going to be this whole team sooner rather than later. She's a contender for hometowns, but has ground to make up on the leading contenders to go any deeper.

Andie & Eric - 25

Danielle M - 9

Alexis - 7

Brittany - 4

Astrid - 5

Alexis is nearing the end of her run, but Danielle is rock solid. The NICU Nurse is heading to hometowns at the least.

Bri & Doug - 25

Danielle L - 8

Sarah - 6

Kristina - 6

Astrid - 5

Does Danielle L have as much potential as the other top contenders? I'm not sure. She's strong in group scenarios, but the chemistry seemed to peter out in her one-on-one with Nick. Kristina isn't a bad second banana though.

Kelly & Phil - 23

Corinne - 12

Christen - 4

Hailey - 2

Astrid - 5
This team is quickly disintegrating. Even if Corinne does defy the odds and make it deep, K&P will have a hard time hanging in with just one player.

Melissa & Tom - 19

Rachel - 9

Taylor - 5

Liz - -1

Josephine - 6

Rachel had an extremely strong one-on-one and is likely to either win or be next Bachelorette. But will it be enough? Josephine will likely be out at the next rose ceremony and we're already 13 points back of Julia & Paul. I don't see it happening this season for us.

Andrea & Zack - 9

Vanessa - 7

Lacey - 1

Elizabeth - 1

Could A to Z have picked the overall winner and still get last in the pool? It's in play for sure.

Episodes 2 & 3

Synopsis

Episode Two

A gaggle of girls drove down to a mansion to hang out with Nick. That was weird because they were living at a mansion so Nick could have just come to them. They took photos in wedding dresses. Bailey had to rest his head on my laptop in order to stay on the couch. He got lucky when I dropped some Chipotle on the laptop. This was the third time we’ve had Chipotle in Vermont so it was special. We take Vitamin D pills for the lack of sunlight but they don’t make Chipotle pills. Yet. Corinne complained about how hot Brittany looked topless.

A bunch of them kissed Nick while taking fake wedding photos with him. Corinne didn’t like it. Alexis said her kiss “tastes like Danielle.” Brittany kissed him while almost naked holding an apple. Corinne didn’t like it. Corinne took her top off in the mansion’s swimming pool in front of everyone. “This is getting very special right now,” Lacey said. Corinne said Nick was “holding her bare bosoms” even though “bosoms” would mean four breasts or more.

During the night portion of the group date, Corinne made out with Nick and said things in double or triplicate like she was “falling, falling, falling” for Nick and feelings were growing “stronger and stronger and stronger” and she was “good very good.” Raven told Nick her last relationship had ended when she walked in on her then-boyfriend with another woman. Corinne butted in on three girls (the triplicate thing again) to make out with Nick and said “cheers bitches” to the group before downing some wine. Then she got the group date rose. Melissa gave a huge thumbs down. “He likes crazy,” she said bitterly. “That’s his type.”

Back at the mansion Corinne bragged about Nick holding her boobs. “He literally Janet Jacksoned you,” Lacey said. Danielle M who Melissa calls the “NICU” nurse went on a helicopter ride with Nick over Southern California to land on a yacht off Newport Beach. Melissa made her usual “Why have we not done that?” joke.

Liz told Christen she had banged Nick already and Christen said “Playasaywhat??” to the cameras. Liz tried to explain to Christen why she didn’t give her number to Nick and it made as little sense to Christen as it did to us. Melissa noted the conversation took place over the course of three different outfits.

Nick and Danielle M went on a helicopter ride. Danielle M told Nick she had been engaged until her fiancée overdosed on drugs and she found him. That was enough to lock up the date rose, obtain a kiss, and get a “she’s really pretty” from Melissa. They went on a ferris wheel and made out (Danielle M & Nick, not Danielle M & Melissa).

Christen, Josephine, Astrid, Jaimi, Kristina and Liz prepared for a group date with Nick. Josephine and the dental hygienist with the mysterious accent hyperventilated. They went to the Museum of Broken Relationships in Hollywood. Nick placed the engagement ring he bought from Neill the Ring Guy in front of his dates and talked about how it made him sad, but happy because it made him better. There was a fake breakup with two actors as a guide for fake breakups they would all act out. Melissa realized the girl slapping Nick in the face (a highlight of the big teaser trailer at the end of episode one) was going to be part of an act. “That’s disappointing,” I said. “Usually is,” Melissa said. Liz cried.

Nick was natural at fake-breaking up, probably because he’s done it for real so many times. Astrid did an okay job of fake breaking up. Kristina laughed during hers. Jaimi was convincing. Christen’s was okay. Josephine did the slap. It was huge, like when Ben Howard slaps in “Sorry With Slaps” which is playing the board game “Sorry” only you can slap someone in the face if they screw up. It’s really fun actually. Liz went over the top with super-serious and intense references to her real “breakup” with Nick.

At night Jaimi told Nick she dated a girl while Melissa edited pictures of the ice castle in New Hampshire she went to that afternoon. Christen served as an intermediary between Liz and Nick. Then they cut out the middle woman and talked. “The more I talk to Liz the less she makes sense,” Nick said. “I’d be shocked if some girls don’t decide to leave,” Christen said. Then Nick got rid of Liz. “Welp,” I said. “Hopefully our fourth round pick does well,” Melissa said. Nick told the remaining girls on the date he had boned Liz before and Astrid threw her hands to her face. They ended the show without a rose ceremony; instead they had a one-year birthday party for Alexis’s fake boobs.

Episode Three

We watched the episode from the 24th floor of Loews Hotel in Philadelphia. The girls expressed shock and concern upon learning about Nick’s tryst with Liz. He spent the cocktail party explaining it one by one to the girls while rubbing their hands. Bailey put his head on Melissa’s leg to get closer to her Philly cheesesteak (vegetarian of course, because eating animals from factory farms is disgusting). Corinne put on a trenchcoat and put whipped cream in Nick’s mouth and on her chest. “I love that Corinne seems to be very comfortable with her body and very comfortable with her sexuality,” Nick said, but expressed concern over how the other girls would feel. Corinne then wept and slept through the rose ceremony with her rose cuddled on the bed next to her like Bailey cuddles with us. Nick got rid of the underwear-joker Hailey (because she forgot the top third of her dress, according to Melissa) who immediately started weeping (Hailey, not Melissa). He also eliminated Lacey AKA “Yellowdress” according to Melissa. 

Chris Harrison hyped a big group date. The Backstreet Boys came into the mansion singing and told the girls not to wear heels. Danielle L said they were her favorite band. “Was that past tense or present?” Melissa wondered. Melissa admitted she liked the one she thought was named Brian, who I pointed out was the shortest one (Melissa likes short guys. Fortunately.) They went to a warehouse and practiced dancing. Danielle L. did well. Corinne did not, so she went to the bathroom and cried.

The Backstreet Boys started with that “Backstreet’s back, all right!” song which I secretly kind of like (no longer a secret I suppose). Jasmine, who dances professionally at Golden State Warriors games, didn’t get voted the best dancer by the crowd. Danielle L. did. Her reward was a dance onstage with Nick with the ‘Boys serenading them with that “I Want It That Way” song which I secretly kind of like. Seriously those are the only two Backstreet Boys songs I like or even know. Except for that “Incomplete” song which I secretly kind of like.

Danielle L confidently made out with Nick. “She’s going to hometowns,” I stated. Corinne said she wanted to get a boob job, “but a tiny one.” Then she tried to explain her nanny to the other ladies. Jasmine got jittery and ornery and fell over. Nick unsurprisingly gave Danielle L the group date rose.

Vanessa and Nick went on a plane that was supposed to have no gravity, but actually had some. They made out while floating. Melissa and I both checked our phones. At dinner Vanessa told Nick her grandfather died. I made fun of Zack’s team to him via imessage and said it was “too bad cause Vanessa is legit.” “Yeah she’s a real person,” Zack responded.

Nick and the girls did track and field with Allyson Felix, Carl Lewis and Michelle Carter. Astrid’s boobs bounced a lot. Alexis pulled off the high jump. Astrid hit the javelin heart target. Dominique bucked stereotypes by being bad. The final event was a race to a ring. Rachel was fastest, but botched picking up the ring. Then she ran back to pick it up, stepped on it, and shattered it. Astrid picked up a shard of it so she “kind of won” according to Nick. 

Dominique cried, got consoled by Rachel, saw Rachel making out with Nick, and started crying again. Melissa noticed Alexis’s fake boobs were too far apart. We remembered our nickname for her is “Dolphark” because of her shark/dolphin costume from the first night. Nick got rid of Dominique and she cried for a third time. Nobody got points for her crying or negative points for her getting booted before the rose ceremony because nobody picked her to be on their team. Seems to be the story of her life. Rachel got the date rose. Melissa and I high-fived.

They did a pool party instead of a cocktail party. “Her bathing suit is not even covering her pubes,” Melissa said in reference to Jasmine. Corinne and Nick jumped inside of a bouncy castle and made out, angering some girls. Afterwards Corinne fell asleep in the castle and snored. Raven told Nick that Corinne had a nanny. “She does not know how to clean a spoon,” Raven said gravely. Jasmine, Taylor and Vanessa also told Nick they thought Corinne was bad.

Standings

Kelly & Phil - 14

Corinne - 6

Christen - 3

Hailey - 2

Astrid - 3
Corinne is going to accumulate points like Ashton Eaton in a decathlon until she expires. That expiration is inevitable, however, and I think it will come sooner rather than later. Then this team is finished. Still, I like the high-upside Corinne pick where they got her.

Andie & Eric - 12

Danielle M - 3

Alexis - 3

Brittany - 3

Astrid - 3

This team is going to be tough. Danielle M is a contender, Nick will probably keep Dolphark around a while for the laughs, and Brittany and Astrid won't be anchors. It looks to be a boom year in Eric's boom/bust pattern.

Bri & Doug - 12

Danielle L - 4

Sarah - 3

Kristina - 2

Astrid - 3

The mirror image of A&E's team, right down to using the first five letters of the alphabet in their abbreviated team name. B&D have a contending Danielle at the top, a decent second banana, a non-anchor, and Astrid. This season could come down to a Battle of Danielles. 

Julia & Paul - 10
Raven - 2
Jasmine - 3
Whitney - 2
Jaimi - 3
Raven seems to have the best chance at being this year's Whitney - an under-the-radar charmer who suddenly comes on after a gamechanging one-on-one date. Considering Raven has only been on one group date, that could happen as soon as the next episode. The rest of this team is also-rans, but at least they made it this far.

Melissa & Tom - 7

Rachel - 3

Taylor - 3

Liz - -1

Josephine - 2

It will be interesting to see if Liz murders this team. I thought she was a great value near the bottom of the third round, obviously not anticipating she could be going home the next episode with a negative on her back. Josephine's singing aside, this is a solid team that could be in the mix if Rachel goes all the way. She's already garnered two "preliminary" roses.

Andrea & Zack - 6

Vanessa - 4

Lacey - 1

Elizabeth - 1

Ouch. It was all over for A&E ten minutes into the second episode after the draft. Double-digit picks are easy to miss on, but Team Zero Waste has to be regretting not picking up a bonus 4th round pick. It's too bad, because Vanessa might be this season's strongest player.

Episode One & The Draft

Synopsis

Melissa, Bailey, the “GOAT” pizza (the Upper East Side from Manhattan Pizza Pub in Burlington Vermont – a white sauce pizza with breaded eggplant, ricotta cheese, red onion and spinach), a Stone Corral Black Beer, a Smuggler’s Notch Maple bourbon & ginger and I sat down on the couch for the eagerly anticipated season premiere of The Bachelor featuring my personal favorite “character” Nick V in the titular role.

There was the obligatory opener featuring Nick V, Nick V’s abs, and Nick V’s glutes. They showed him get obliterated by Andi, then Kaitlin. He said he was excited to have the shoe on the other foot, though it was “arguably likely” he would get his heart broken again. Repeat heartbreak was an ominous theme throughout the first episode and the teaser trailer at the end. He looked at old photos of himself with his family, including a bleach-blonde high school look they said made him look like a vampire. Coincidentally, his little sister was named Bella.

Next up came the obligatory session with previous Bachelors Blonde Guy, Farmer, and Ben. Blonde Guy (I think his name is Sean) has been on every season since we started watching, I think. It was unclear why the Farmer was there since he quit on his relationship with Whitney without ever giving it a fair shake. Perhaps it was for his taste in plaid shirts. “Wait, Ben wound up with who?” Melissa asked. It took me a second. “That blonde girl from Portland?” I suggested. “Oh yeah – she was kind of stupid,” Melissa said. Melissa thought it would be funny if one of the guys who “beat him” was there giving advice.

Then came the vignettes on some of the more prominent contestants. They did them on a lawyer/vacuumer, a beach bunny, a multilingual special needs teacher, a nursing student, an Arkansan, a Miami businesswoman, a weirdo from New Jersey, a nurse, a mental health pro, and a “doula” who knew Nick from Jade & Tanner’s wedding.

During the commercial break I ate more pizza and texted with Toph, who said he was watching The Bachelor along with the Rose Bowl.  Even though Toph probably had mid-five figures on the game, he was more focused and fired up for The Bachelor. Toph and I lamented the Rose Bowl being on Jan. 2nd instead of 1st and agreed it didn’t feel right.

Danielle the beach bunny came out of the limo on the wet driveway first. “She forgot the middle part of her dress,” Melissa said. She reminded me of Kobe Bryant’s wife. Then there was Elizabeth, a marketing manager from Dallas. The attorney came next and made a strong move with a fantasy (sports, not suite) reference. Then came a huge-mouthed woman in a yellow dress, the mental health counselor who awkwardly told him her friends thought he was a “complete piece of sh__”, a dental hygienist with a mysterious accent, a model, someone named Hussy who made fun of their last names, a food truck operator, Ida Marie, an Alaskan, Sarah who ran up and made a “runner-up” joke I liked, a pro basketball dancer who brought Neill the ring guy, a Canadian who made an underwear joke I also liked, a sexual German, and the “doula” who already had sex with Nick. It was unclear if Nick remembered her or not. He skillfully used language that made it seem like he thought he remembered her without committing.

USC scored a TD to cut the gap in half on Penn St. Nick V told Harrison he thought he remembered the doula. Then another limo pulled up and out came Corinne who gave him a “hug token”, the French-speaking special ed teacher, Danielle who gave Nick maple syrup just like we gave everyone for Xmas, the Arkansan, a chef with a nose ring, someone with a stethoscope, an account manager, a nurse with a hot dog, a (different) travel nurse just like Melissa, a flight attendant, a pilates instructor, someone on a camel, the “aspiring dolphin trainer” who reminded me of the aspiring dolphin trainer from Survivor and Jonathan Jaffe the aspiring dolphin trainer/professional poker player, and Emma Stone. Actually Emma Stone was in a commercial for a movie with Ryan Gosling. I got confused because it was right after the limo sequence and Ryan Gosling was on the show recently. 

The big surprise wasn’t how many contestants were wearing red dresses, it wasn’t how many were nurses, it was how many were black. Kevin Love went to the locker room and I yelled the F word. Corinne gave Nick a bag of tokens. Then she got overaggressive and kissed him.

ABC ran a crapload of commercials. USC tied it 49-49 with a minute left. Nikola Vucevic double-doubled in the third quarter. Corinne further established herself as the Villain. The aspiring dolphin trainer was wearing a shark costume but kept insisting it was a dolphin.

Somehow USC had the ball back in field goal range with 5 seconds left. They made the field goal to win it 52-49. Pac-12! Rachel, an early Melissa favorite, got the First Impression Rose – much to Corinne’s chagrin. No rhyme intended. Rachel also got a kiss. Nick said “you guys” to the group of girls which is a term I often consider in school with groups of girls and usually avoid in favor of “ladies.” The travel nurse started freaking out cause so many of them were wearing red dresses and she wanted to be noticed. “That’s totally the reason you’re not getting a rose – cause of your red dress, not cause of your shitty personality,” Melissa said.

At the rose ceremony, Nick saved the last rose for the doula he already banged. We had a discussion about Nick and her having sex at the wedding and the aftermath. I found the idea of having sex with someone and then not recognizing them later preposterous, even for a supposed-player like Nick, even if the sex was super drunk. “He obviously has sex at every wedding,” I said. “So do you, now,” Melissa said. In any case, it was clear Nick did recognize and remember her. He got rid of the Alaskan, one or two nurses, one or two black women, and one or two I had never seen before. “I would have kept the Alaskan,” I said. “That’s because you want to spend summers there,” Melissa said. The most exciting events of the epic season trailer were Nick getting slapped in the face by one of the ladies and Corinne saying “my heart is gold, but my vagine is platinum.”

The Draft

1. Andie & Eric - Danielle M
2. Andrea & Zack - Vanessa
3. Melissa & Tom - Rachel
4. Bri & Doug - Danielle L
5. Kelly & Phil - Corinne
6. Julia & Paul - Raven
7. Julia & Paul - Jasmine
8. Kelly & Phil - Christen
9. Bri & Doug - Sarah
10. Melissa & Tom - Taylor
11. Andrea & Zack - Lacey
12. Andie & Eric - Alexis
13. Andrea & Zack - Elizabeth
14. Bri & Doug - Kristina
15. Julia & Paul - Whitney
16. Kelly & Phil - Hailey
17. Melissa & Tom - Liz
18. Andie & Eric - Brittany

Eric proposed an added 4th round in which we could independently draft any of the remaining players if we chose, with a -1 point penalty for anyone we chose who didn't receive a rose at the first ceremony. We accepted.

4th Round:
Andie & Eric - Astrid
Bri & Doug - Astrid
Kelly & Phil - Astrid
Julia & Paul - Jaimi
Melissa & Tom - Josephine
Andrea & Zack - Nobody

This left Dominique as the only contestant not drafted, the One True Dreg. 

I am not going to power rank the teams or analyze in depth as I don't have much of a feel for this season yet. I thought the first four picks were reasonable and straightforward and Corinne at #5 was overly aggressive, but the alternatives at that point were not enticing. I was surprised Liz fell to #17 though I 'd be more surprised if she went deep (yeah, I know, she already did, ba-dum-cha.) I'm looking forward to the season.