The comparisons between reality TV and our president pop up often: Trump seems to fire people as quickly as a woman rooting out suitors who are here for the wrong reasons. When he’s deciding between two Supreme Court nominees, he invites them both to appear for the announcement, in a rose ceremony for a seat on the highest court on the land. (Hey, at least that is a lifetime appointment, which is more than we can say for the longevity of most Bachelor couples.)
So when ABC interrupted our regularly-scheduled reality show for that other reality show — the North Korea summit — viewers were not happy. “I’m so annoyed — these are the only two hours I get,” a fellow journalist and “Bachelorette” fan groused as a group of friends gathered to sip rosé and escape reality for a few hours.
Which brings us to …
The worst moment: ABC interrupts “The Bachelorette” to broadcast the most awkward one-on-one ever
“We will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt.”
Nope, that’s not Becca or one of her suitors speaking; it’s President Trump addressing the cameras during his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. They shared a long handshake, gazing into one another’s eyes. Rather than be serenaded by a mediocre country star, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and Martha Raddatz dissected every move.
And Twitter couldn’t get enough.
Can Trump be vulnerable with Kim Jong Un, though, about the ways his country has been hurt by nuclear proliferation in the past?
To start, they’ll need some off-camera time to really bond. Tip from Chris’s one-on-one date at Columbia Records: Writing a personalized love song might do the trick.
Meanwhile, back now to our regularly scheduled programming.
The best moment: Jordan boasting about his 4,000 Tinder matches
After a group date of a spa day, Jordan, a male model who is cast as the villain this season, bragged to his fellow contestants that he has amassed 4,000 Tinder matches, with a 100 percent success rate. He then goes on to tell Becca that he’s “pretty selective” about who his future partner might be, which does not compute.
But watching Jordan brag about this accomplishment, his ruby-red manicured nails grasping a champagne glass and later stroking his chin pensively, is enjoyable television. Jordan is all bravado (in last week’s episode he strutted around the mansion with his shirt off, a towel draped over his shoulders) without an ounce of self-awareness. “Attached to me is professionality,” he says to the other guys. Nothing says professionality like made-up words and professing to be the best.
When one of the guys tells Becca about Jordan’s Tinder binge, she takes the high road — giving him a high-five. She knows Jordan’s not here for her but for his entertainment value. And for now, that’s enough.
The weirdest moments: Two contestants land in the hospital
This moment has been teased all season, in clips of ambulance lights piercing the night sky and blood smeared across the mansion’s tile floor. The implication is that two of the guys have gotten in a fight over Becca. The truth, of course, is much less dramatic. Chris Harrison knocks on Becca’s door to deliver the news: David — yes, the 25-year-old venture capitalist who arrived the first night wearing a chicken suit and bellowing “Bec-caw” — has fallen off his top bunk and landed in the hospital.
Jordan and David are enemies, so the model takes a moment to drill some protective planks onto David’s top bunk. Becca gives David a call in the hospital, so he seems to be doing okay. End-of-episode teasers show him back in the game.
However, the other injury this episode doesn’t have as cheerful an ending. Clay, who in his off-Bachelorette life is a professional football player, injures his wrist during a group date dubbed the Becca Bowl. That’s right — the professional injured himself among novices. But he had an upbeat attitude about it all. “I got injured playing football on ‘The Bachelorette,’ ” he says. “That’s pretty funny.”
What’s not funny is that his wrist needs surgery if he’s going to continue his football career, so he chooses to leave, prompting a tender goodbye during which Clay returns his group-date rose to Becca.
“Take care of yourself,” she says, shedding some tears, adding that watching him walk is “not easy.”
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