(Updates below): Jillian will go from 20 bachelors to 16 tonight.
After the 20 cocktail-party survivors settle into their “animal house,” one accompanies Jillian to Hollywood’s House of Blues, where they’re serenaded by Martina McBride. Another dines with Jillian in a bank vault. Group dates include a trip to Venice Beach, where guys play basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters; and a pool party, followed by a race across L.A. Come elimination time there’s a new wrinkle: The men vote on whom they’d like to see go, and after Jillian weighs in 16 are left.
Here’s my guess as to who is eliminated (in bold):
Brad, 27, financial advisor from Chicago, IL.
Brian, 32, IT consultant from Atlanta, GA.
David, 27, trucking contractor from Dayton, OH.
Ed, 29, technology consultant from Chicago, IL.
Jake, 31, commercial pilot from Dallas, TX.
Jesse, 27, wine maker from Carmel Valley, CA.
Juan, 35, general contractor from Santa Monica, CA.
Julien, 34, restauranteur from San Diego, CA.
Kiptyn, 31, business developer from Encinitas, CA.
Mark, 26, pizza entrepreneur from Denver, CO.
Mathue, 26, personal trainer from Wichita, KS.
Michael, 25, break dance instructor from Astoria, NY.
Mike, 28, baseball camp owner from New York, NY.
Reid, 30, realtor from Philadelphia, PA.
Robby, 25, bartender from Spring, TX.
Sasha, 27, oil and gas consultant from Tiki Island, TX.
Simon, 26, soccer coach from Bradford, England
Tanner F., 28, sales representative from Derby, KS/Denver.
Tanner P., 30, financial analyst from Dallas, TX.
Wes, 32, musician from Austin, TX.
Who to keep your eye on? Mike, Kip and Reid, for sure. Maybe Jesse. Wes the country singer makes it to a home town date but gets cut then. There’s lots of talk he just went on the show for publicity to further his career.
I think the final two will be Kip and Reid, but I’m not completely sure yet.
Reportedly, three of the guys have girlfriends, which Jillian finds out about in an upcoming episode and calls them out on. The show finished filming yesterday in Hawaii. No word yet on who Jillian chose, if anyone.
Even if you’re not into the guys, the show will be worth watching for the locales — particularly Canada, Spain and Hawaii.
From 16, it goes to 13:
Jillian and the remaining 13 contestants travel to Vancouver, her hometown, where she takes 10 of them curling and five on a sunset boat ride. She also takes two on a “one-stays-one-goes” date that culminates atop a snow-covered mountain. In addition, Jillian and one guy heat up her kitchen, but another gets too steamy for her taste. And when she hears that three men might have girlfriends back home, she cancels the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party. At the ceremony, she pares the field to 10.
But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. (As we did with the photo which is from a later episode.)
Back to tonight’s episode:
Wes and Brad win the Scavenger Hunt and bring Jillian a diamond necklace in the vault. Jillian picks Wes to have dinner with. Brad leaves and in a p-i (personal interview) says Wes isn’t here for the right reason. (Wes on his My Space page Friday said it didn’t work out but he made a song for her he was going to put up today.) He really doesn’t seem into her. The other guys watch Jillian and Wes’ date on closed circuit tv.
Pilot Jake gets the next date, at House of Blues where they have the venue to themselves and Martina McBride sings to them. First they go shopping for Jake to get suited up in western gear. Jillian says she’s hoping Jake isn’t too conservative and can “let loose.” He’s more appealing than Wes and in his p-i’s, says he thinks he could fall for her. Jake gets his rose.
Next up is the basketball game with 7 guys and the Harlem Globetrotters. Juan drops Jillian on the ground but makes up for it by saving her from hanging on the net. The Globetrotters pick David as the best for her. David in p-i’ s slams Juan for being too artsy, dainty and intellectual. Mike changes into a speedo/mankini and runs into the ocean. Jillian loves it. Mike gets a rose.
The guys will vote on their least favorite competitor to go home. That should bring 20 to 19 with Jillian to give all but 3 of them roses, leaving 16. But, No. The guys pick Juan and Jillian uses her veto power to give him a rose. He stays. Now Jillian will decide the four who leave. We’ll see if my prediction above (the bolded names) is right.
On the show editing: Reid didn’t have a date, but he had several p-i’s, another sign he’s in. Maybe he’ll be her “invisible guy.”
Final live update: My predictions were correct. I still say the final two, who will go to Hawaii, look like Kiptyn and Reid.